Chapter 2: With Friends Like These
"We are friends, aren't we?" — Takeba Yukari
"We need to pick up our pace, Shido," Minato said while running alongside Shido.
"I know!" Shido responded back, panting. "Damn this rain..."
The blue-haired teens were running through Tengu City in order to get to school. There was a small problem, however. It was raining and the two boys were soaking wet because they didn't bring umbrellas with them. Shido was running out of breath as he and Minato were dashing through the drizzle.
"Hang on. Let's stop here for a moment." Minato noticed his friend's fatigue and thought it was best to rest before continuing on. Shido silently agreed as the two entered the local shrine area, trying to dry themselves off. Their wet uniforms were sticking to their bodies. It felt very unpleasant. Shido let out an annoyed groan.
"The weather forecast has been so off lately. A 10% chance of rain, my ass," Shido complained. The past few days in Tengu City had seen constant rain instead of sunshine, despite forecasters predicting otherwise. The city was robbed of clear skies as a result. Shido turned towards Minato. "Remind me why we didn't decide to bring umbrellas?"
The other bluenette shrugged his shoulders.
"Must have slipped our minds, I guess. Although the weather forecast said there was a 10% chance of rain, it's still a chance. Just not a very big one." Shido couldn't argue with that logic. They should've been prepared though. After all, low odds were still possible.
Minato gazed at his surroundings, taking in the sights of the shrine and the city.
"You know, I feel like I still haven't scratched the surface of this city yet. There's so much here. I think I have a good sense of direction, and with your help and Kotori's, I'm starting to get used to things." While not fully knowing every nook and cranny of Tengu City, Minato had learned the general areas Shido and Kotori showed him. It hadn't been that long since he was taken in by them, but the Itsuka siblings were impressed with how sharp he was.
"Haha, you're a fast learner, Minato," Shido complimented.
"Thanks. Ready to go?" Minato asked Shido after some minutes had went by. Shido nodded, and the two were about to leave when they heard a loud splash nearby.
They both turned around and saw a little girl whose face they couldn't see clearly. She was wearing a green hoodie that had rabbit ears which covered her head, and it seemed like she was skipping on the puddles. On her left hand was a funny-looking, rabbit-shaped puppet. The girl suddenly tripped and fell onto the rain puddle beneath her. The rabbit puppet on her left hand slipped off and flew forward.
"H-Hey!" Shido called out. Both he and Minato ran towards the fallen girl. Shido lifted her up from the puddle. Her now visible face revealed that she had hair and whitened-pupiled eyes that were both blue. "Thank goodness. Are you hurt anywhere?"
The little girl looked at the blue-haired duo in front of her and her eyes widened. She immediately retreated backwards to the tree behind her, leaving Shido slightly dumbfounded. Minato instinctively reached out to her with his arm but the distance between himself and that tiny girl was far already.
"Um, I guess she's fine then..." Shido remarked.
"Please... don't come near me," the girl spoke with a meek tone. "D-Don't hurt me. Please, don't hurt me."
Minato and Shido stared at her with worried expressions on their faces. Were they really that intimidating? Was she frightened of boys, or people in general?
The more quiet one of the bluenette duo then elbowed his friend lightly, grabbing Shido's attention.
"Hey, Shido. If we don't leave now, we'll be late for school," Minato pointed out. If they didn't want to be tardy, they would have to leave at this moment.
"But what about... huh?" Shido looked back to where the girl was cowering in fear, only to find that she wasn't there anymore. Her rabbit puppet was gone as well. He surveyed the area and found no signs of her. "Where did she…?"
Did she teleport or disappear into thin air? Minato was curious about the girl as well, but they were pressed for time. He placed a hand on one of Shido's shoulders.
"Let's get going. I feel like she'll be fine for now. She probably went to school or back home. Her and getting to school late will be the least of our worries if we keep standing here... Achoo!" Minato sneezed without warning. He started to feel sick from the overexposure of rain that pelted his body continuously.
Shido hesitantly acceded but gave one more worrying glance around the shrine area. The two then proceeded to leave for school.
The next moment, the rabbit puppet belonging to that mysterious girl poked its head around a tree.
"In the light men're crossing over lone shadows–"
"Arisato-san! Try these!"
"Wearing veiled slight hopes of intimacy–"
"No, don't try hers! Taste mine!"
"Want to be close–"
"He doesn't want yours! Arisato-kun wants the ones I have!"
"To be close..."
Minato was gazing outside through one of Class 2-4's windows. The rain was still pouring from the skies. He was wondering if it was ever going to stop. Minato was also listening to a song from his MP3 player, Want To Be Close, in an attempt to drown out the voices of the girls that ringed around him and his desk. They were trying to get his attention, but to no avail, they couldn't.
Today at Raizen High School, the female students had their home economics class. He amassed a small fanbase since his transfer, as a handful of girls from his class and other ones made various types of food just for the silent blue-haired boy. His selection ranged from cookies to cupcakes to even slices of cake. Not wanting to let food go to waste, Minato simply ate the girls' foods. Luckily, everything he ate was tasty and edible to which he commented on. The girls squealed with delight and the guys in the room glared daggers at Minato.
Popularity was the last thing he expected or wanted when he transferred, and it was honestly a hassle.
It had been a few weeks since he enrolled into Raizen High School, but Minato plus Shido unintentionally created a reputation for themselves. Every student in the school knew who the blue-haired duo were.
Soon after transferring in, Minato was known for his stoic personality and quietness. He didn't usually speak unless he was spoken to by someone, although he would converse with Shido often. Even without Kotori's constant pestering, the two became fast friends. They both shared interests in cooking and their personalities complemented each other. Minato was the composed, aloof one of the duo while Shido was the casual, sensitive one. The two bluenettes had their charms too, although oddly enough for Minato it was like that stat was maxed out for him. When he wasn't spending time with Shido, girls tried approaching him because of his looks. He was admittedly somewhat annoyed by them, however.
On the other hand, Shido had two of the most popular girls in his year vying for his attention. Tobiichi Origami was already famous for her excellence in terms of grades and athletics, on top of being a beauty too. She made it clear to Shido and everyone, mainly Tohka, that she was Shido's girlfriend. Yatogami Tohka, as described by Shido himself, was "an impossibly beautiful girl" who was very fond of the boy. She loved to spend time with him whenever possible, but her "Shido Time" was usually thwarted by Origami and vice versa.
Tohka and Origami would get into heated arguments about who Shido preferred over something like personality or actions. Before the tension between the two could escalate, Shido would hastily come between them so that they both stop, attempting to avoid any more drama. It was interesting for Minato to watch the feuds often. The only advice Minato could offer to Shido was to either let Origami and Tohka settle their arguments through their own means somehow, or stop the two before they get more serious.
Taking off his headphones, Minato sighed, grabbing the attention of the girls who were bickering around him.
"Can I be left alone? I'm kind of tired right now..." He said bluntly, hoping to shoo the girls away. Fortunately it worked as they left soon shortly after, and hopefully they got the picture to not bother him anymore. Minato didn't feel exhausted at all, but he felt like doing something else. Shido was taking a nap on his desk, and Minato didn't want to disrupt his friend's napping. He was about to put on his headphones again until something caught his attention.
"Shido!" A cheerful voice shouted from outside the classroom, promptly awakening the boy whose name was called as he shot up from his seat and stood on his feet, initially swaying side to side unsteadily. The classroom's door slid open, revealing Yatogami Tohka with an apron over her school uniform. She held a tray in her hands that was filled with what appeared to be cookies, each of them showing a different face of emotion.
Tohka walked happily over to Shido's desk with a beaming smile and placed her tray of cookies right in front of Shido.
"I made these things called cookies! Everyone in cooking class taught me how to make them! So do you wanna try them?"
"Uh..." Shido sweatdropped, sensing the gazes focused on him from his classmates. While he really did enjoy being with Tohka, he didn't particularly like being the center of attention whenever they interacted with each other in school. He wished these people would just mind their business for once.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Shido? You're not going to eat?" Tohka asked curiously, tilting her head cutely.
"I... Er... About that..." Shido tried to speak with a nervous twitch in his cheek. Tohka's shoulders began drooping little by little.
"Oh... I see... You probably think my cooking isn't good..." Tohka mumbled dejectedly, the red ribbon that tied her hair into a ponytail deflating.
"What!? No! I would never think of that, Tohka! I'd love to try your cookies!" Shido proclaimed, his voice filled with determination. Seeing her sad made his heart ache. Tohka perked up with stars in her eyes. Shido made up his mind and grabbed one of Tohka's cookies from her tray.
"Tch," Minato spat out. As Shido was about to consume the cookie, Minato saw out of the corner of his eye a silver blur that flew directly towards the cookie from the hallway. Acting on pure instinct, he caught the object between his index and middle finger. The thrown projectile turned out to be a fork.
Shido's and Tohka's eyes widened in shock as Minato held the fork in front of them.
"Wh-What the!?" Shido panicked.
"What, who did that!? That could have hurt Shido or Minato!" Tohka exclaimed. She saw Shido as someone really special to her, but she also saw Minato as a friend.
Ever since their transfers into Raizen High, the two had interacted with each other a lot. Minato became fond of Tohka's presence because of her bubbly and innocent nature. While not booksmart, she had a lot of heart. And he thought her interactions with Shido were cute.
Although their first meeting was embarrassing for her, Tohka had warmed up to Minato over time because of Shido. Minato was approachable like Shido and paid attention to her. He even helped her with homework and studying. She was still convinced that they were brothers, despite the bluenettes telling her otherwise.
Minato was a mystery to her, yet she could sense that he wasn't a bad person either. He seemed like a decent human.
Tohka and Minato discovered that they had one thing in common: They were both gluttons. No one was capable of keeping up with them when it came to eating. People couldn't fathom how the two could consume so much and maintain their thin physiques.
As days went by, Tohka kept insisting that Minato should address her by her first name because she liked it better that way. Eventually, he submitted after she repeatedly pestered him on a daily basis.
Minato turned his head towards the supposed origin of where the fork was shot from as Tohka and Shido did the same. At the door from where Tohka entered earlier stood Tobiichi Origami in a posture as if she had just thrown something a few seconds ago, with her right hand stretched out. Her bandages were now gone, signaling that she recovered from whatever injuries she had before.
The white-haired girl had no expression on her face like always, but she then glanced at Minato with her eyebrows furrowed. How was he able to intercept her thrown projectiles not once, but twice? He was more proficient than he looked.
"No throwing, Tobiichi-san," he told her, frowning. He stood up from his desk to return Origami's fork.
The two of them were rather reserved individuals among the student population. Shockingly, they were additionally neck-and-neck in grades – Minato and Origami were now the top two students of their year academically. The same went for their athletic abilities, despite Minato not joining any sports teams. It was as if he was a male version of Origami.
Origami's friendship with Minato was interesting to say the least. They conversed often since the latter's transfer about general topics like schoolwork or how the other was doing. Their similarly quiet natures meshed well too. The white-haired girl was skeptical of him suddenly joining her school and class but deemed it was not her place to judge. For all she knew, Minato may have actually been a transfer student that was planning to enroll into Raizen High and Shido helped him with those matters.
"It's a personal matter, Arisato-san," Origami told the amnesiac, receiving her fork back. Holding a tray of her own with her left hand, Origami approached Tohka and the blue-haired teens. She stopped in front of Shido and placed her tray on his desk. Inside it were perfectly shaped cookies that were neatly lined up. They looked like products that came straight from a factory line. "You don't have to put Yatogami Tohka's things in your mouth, Shido. If you are going to eat something, then eat my cookies."
"Errrr..." Shido sweatdropped. As for Minato, he was pleasantly impressed by the display.
"Wow. They look good, Tobiichi-san." Origami quietly took note of Minato's praise. Shido began to sweat profusely. Another fight was about to commence shortly, and the two bluenettes knew it.
Tohka glared at Origami.
"You need to stop copying me!" She snarled. Origami faced Tohka with furrowed eyebrows.
"I actually completed mine before you, therefore you're copying me," Origami calmly stated.
"Sh-Shut up! There's no way your cookies would ever taste nice. I bet they're icky." Tohka then picked up one of Origami's cookies and ate it to confirm her theory.
Tohka's cheeks then blushed with a color akin to cherry blossoms as her face appeared blissful. It seemed that the cookie was tasty for her. Tohka instantly snapped out of her trance a moment later and shook her head.
"U-Um they're not anything special! If your cookie is like that, then mine must be more delicious! Shido, just hurry up and eat my cookies before that witch makes you eat her garbage!" Tohka then held up her tray of cookies in front of Shido.
"Here, you should eat mine first," Origami stated while doing the same thing as Tohka. The two girls both had glints in their eyes that could pierce and pin down an enemy, and as they stared at Shido, a sweatdrop started to flow down his cheek. Receiving a silent nod from Minato, Shido took a cookie out of each tray and ate them simultaneously.
"Mhmm... They're both delicious," he said truthfully and nervously. Tohka fist-pumped.
"My cookie must be tastier, he ate mine a little faster," Tohka proclaimed boastfully to Origami.
"Not so, he ate mine earlier by 0.02 seconds," Origami calmly replied.
"Gaaah, what's your deal!?" Tohka shouted. Minato and Shido sighed and facepalmed simultaneously. There just didn't seem to be an end to this.
Minato was on his way back to the Itsuka residence after school ended for the day. The rain had yet to subside in Tengu City, so he had to run. He unfortunately found out that he didn't have any spare change for a bus or train ride. He made a mental note to himself for later to actually get a job. Perhaps one at a café. It sounded like a good idea to him. Shido's parents certainly had been providing more than enough funds to their children to live comfortably while they worked overseas, but Minato wanted to pull his own weight too outside of household chores.
Shido originally wanted to go home with him, but Origami made Shido stay behind at Raizen High to taste more of her food that she somehow cooked very quickly within a couple hours. She wanted to prove that she was a far better cook than Tohka. Shido pleaded for Minato to save him as he was getting dragged away by Origami. Minato merely stared at Shido with his headphones on, and then he walked in the opposite direction, leaving Shido to his fate.
'Sorry, live strong,' Minato thought to himself. Shido had to learn to deal with girls somehow, especially since he had a so-called girlfriend.
Minato still never got a proper answer about Shido's love triangle circumstances. It was almost as if he was kept out of the loop on purpose. What weren't they telling him?
It honestly bothered him, but it couldn't be helped.
He noticed he was passing by the local shrine and slowed down briefly. That little girl from earlier wasn't here from the looks of it. He wondered where she could've gone before resuming his route back to Shido's house.
"This rain is getting on my nerves..." Minato was incredibly annoyed by the fact that he didn't have an umbrella with him. Every part of him was drenched, save for his MP3 and headphones that he stored in his pockets. At least the rain didn't mess his hair up a whole lot.
That being said, he needed a break to dry off for a bit. So he chose to stop by the arcade. It would provide him shelter from the rain until he was ready to venture out again. The establishment itself was fairly active today, most likely due to the weather. There were a couple of students from Raizen High here too, and some acknowledged his presence with whispers.
Minato didn't plan on playing any games right now, only wanting to use this time to drain the water from his clothes and hair. He stood near the entrance while doing this.
"Ara ara, what do we have here?"
The bluenette was so preoccupied with drying himself off that he didn't detect a person near him. He adjusted his attention and was greeted with a girl standing in front of him.
This girl had long, black hair tied into twin tails that rested on her shoulders and the front of her body, and she was wearing a black Gothic Lolita dress. The left side of her face was covered by her abnormally long bangs, but the right side revealed her right eye to be red. Minato was quick to note that her hairstyle was almost like a mirror of his because he would part his bangs to cover his right eye, leaving the left side of his face more exposed.
Minato was legitimately taken aback upon seeing this girl.
She was very beautiful.
The girl approached Minato and scanned his figure up and down before she giggled lightly, sounding like she was satisfied.
"My, you're more impressive in person, Minato-san."
It was that statement that made the blue-haired boy snap out of it. That didn't sound right to him at all.
"How do you know my name…?" Minato asked her cautiously. Was she somebody he knew prior to his memory loss?
"Ah, where are my manners? Hehe, my name is Tokisaki Kurumi. You may not know me, but I know a bit about you," the girl named Kurumi introduced herself with a suggestive tone. "You see, rumors have been spreading around about a handsome blue-haired high school student who's been turning young girls' heads in this city. I just happened to overhear students talking about him and was curious who this boy might be."
Kurumi leaned in closer to Minato, barely invading his personal space.
"I must say that you certainly live up to those rumors, Minato-san. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh."
This girl was quite bold.
He wasn't bothered by this, in fact it was a refreshing change of pace from the girls that interacted with him shallowly. So he decided to make small talk with this Tokisaki Kurumi to pass the time.
"Nice to meet you, Tokisaki-san," Minato said politely to the girl. Kurumi seemed harmless enough to talk to with her confident demeanor. He needed to kill time anyway while his hair and clothes dried off. "Do you go to Raizen High?"
"Not at the moment," Kurumi replied, shaking her head. "Is it fun there?"
"I guess." Minato shrugged. The learning materials he had learned at Raizen High weren't that hard to grasp for him. It was rather normal there. His time there had been lively thanks to Shido, Origami, and Tohka. "The school itself is okay, but being around friends makes it not so boring."
"How interesting," Kurumi noted, resting her index finger on her cheek. "To be honest, I have thought about going to Raizen High. If I do, would you show me around, Minato-san?"
"Sure, I don't mind," Minato agreed, thinking there wasn't any harm in the gesture.
Kurumi giggled softly.
"I'll be sure to remember your promise, Minato-san."
Minato nodded with a small smile.
"Do you come to this arcade often?" He asked Kurumi out of curiosity.
"Sometimes, but usually to look around," she responded, quickly glancing at a claw machine filled with cat plushies before Minato could notice. "I was about to leave until I saw you. Must be fate that brought us together."
"Fate?" Minato wondered, confused by her remark.
"Hehe, just kidding," Kurumi said mischievously. "Were you on your way home from school?"
"Mm. Just stopped here to get out of the rain for a bit," the blue-haired boy informed her. He then inspected his clothes and hair, noticing how much drier they were compared to when he initially entered the building.
"Seems like you've accomplished your mission," Kurumi noted. "Will you be leaving?"
"Yeah, I probably should. Doesn't seem like this rain will let up for a while," Minato replied, glancing outside to see more rainfall.
"Aw, that's unfortunate. I would've loved to spend more time getting to know you, Minato-san," Kurumi stated teasingly.
Minato didn't have any objections to that personally. But if this rain was going to continue even into nighttime, then he didn't really want to stay out for too long.
"Maybe another time, Tokisaki-san," he assured her.
"Oh, you don't have to be so formal with me. You can just call me Kurumi if you'd like," Kurumi insisted with a smile.
"Alright… Kurumi," Minato hesitated but decided to comply with her offer. The bluenette supposed she was just that comfortable around him.
"Ara ara, I didn't think you'd do it so quickly. How bold," Kurumi said, giggling. Minato shrugged in response. "Be careful on your way back, Minato-san."
Minato nodded and waved goodbye as Kurumi did the same.
"See you, Kurumi." He exited the arcade and proceeded to return home.
It felt nice to have a normal conversation with a girl his age for once outside of Origami and Tohka. Every other girl at school annoyed him with their minor infatuations of him. Kurumi seemed different from them.
Kurumi walked out of the arcade shortly after as she remained fixated on the direction Minato took to leave. A faint blush developed on her face. She placed her hand on her cheek and sighed in ecstasy.
"Ara ara. What a man. I can hardly contain myself. So respectful. So mysterious. So delicious," Kurumi said to herself, licking her lips in euphoria. Just thinking of the blue-haired boy made her very excited.
She then laughed.
"You will be mine, Arisato Minato."
Minato had just returned to the Itsuka residence. He took off his wet school blazer and slung it over his shoulder while walking towards the living room. Kotori typically stayed in there most of the time. She really liked watching television more than the two blue-haired boys who lived with her. Sure enough, the petite redhead with pigtails was on the couch, watching an anime as she was sucking on a lollipop.
From what Minato could tell, Kotori liked having him around and had been enthusiastic about him living with her and Shido since the day they met. He later found out that Shido had been adopted by Kotori's parents and weren't actual blood siblings. Despite that, their sibling bond was undoubtedly strong. Shido was a doting big brother to her, and Kotori was pretty affectionate towards him. Seeing them interact with each other was wholesome.
"I'm back, Kotori," Minato announced to her. Kotori turned her head and smiled happily at him.
"Oh! Welcome back, Minato!" She greeted. Noticing that Shido wasn't with Minato, she asked the amnesiac, "Where's bro?"
"Tobiichi-san," Minato answered, shrugging his shoulders.
"Ah." Kotori nodded in understanding.
"Minato?" A familiar voice spoke up, sounding muffled at the same time.
The blue-haired teen's gaze went to the kitchen and found Yatogami Tohka, sitting at the dining room table and eating what appeared to be kinako bread. Actually, there were tons of bags filled with them on the table. Minato could have sworn that the Itsukas didn't have that many the last time he checked the food supply. Where did the bread come from?
"Oh hey, Tohka. What are you doing here?" Minato asked, ignoring the vast amounts of bread for now. "Did you want to see Shido?"
"I do, but… He's with that witch, right?" Tohka took angry bites of her bread. "She better not do anything funny to him or else!"
"Knowing Shido, I'm sure he'll be fine," Minato promised, sitting down with Tohka. Now that he thought about it, nobody had told him anything specific about her relationship with Shido. Perhaps this was a good time as any. "You really do care about him, huh?"
Tohka blushed furiously.
"Wh-What gave you that idea?" She stuttered, doing her best to avoid eye contact. The poor girl tried at least.
"Come on, I'm not stupid," Minato affirmed calmly, crossing his arms.
"It's okay, Tohka," Kotori reassured her without looking behind. "Minato's a good person."
Hearing that, Tohka took a deep breath.
"Shido… He's been so nice to me," Tohka gently said, her eyes softening. "He took me out on a date and showed me how amazing this world is. No one's ever treated me so kindly before until he came into my life… I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for him."
This was the first time Minato had seen Tohka so sincere about something. She sounded sad yet thoughtful. It was a stark contrast from her usual energetic behavior.
"I… didn't know. I'm sorry." Minato was admittedly caught off guard. He kind of felt bad now for being nosy.
Tohka shook her head, smiling.
"Don't be. I get to see Shido every day now, and I'm always learning new things too!" The purple-haired girl was back to her cheerful persona. "I even made a new friend because of Shido!"
"Who?" Minato wondered.
"You, dummy!" Tohka pointed at him. "You are good at school and help me a lot when I can't understand stuff! You're also my rival when it comes to eating food! I thought I was the only one who could eat a bunch until I met you! You're a cool human, Minato!"
Minato had to admit, Shido seemed to be the glue that connected him and everyone else he knew together. It made him appreciate the oldest Itsuka sibling more for giving him a chance of normalcy. His amnesia came with its downsides, yet it also provided him with upsides such as meeting people like Tohka.
Funnily enough, he and Tohka didn't seem so different from each other when it came to Shido.
"You're cool too, Tohka," Minato returned the sentiment with a smile.
"Hehe." Tohka bashfully rubbed the back of her head. "By the way, what are you doing here at Shido's house, Minato?"
"Me? I live here with Shido," Minato stated.
"Really?! Then I guess we'll be roommates!" She cheered.
Minato blinked.
"Huh?"
"Tohka will be staying with us for the time being, Minato!" Kotori chimed in enthusiastically. Another person was going to stay with them?
"How come?" Minato couldn't help but ask.
"Have you seen the construction outside of our house?" The redhead inquired. Minato nodded, recalling the clear signs of development and the building and equipment noises lately. "That's going to be a new apartment complex, and Tohka's going to move in there once it's done. Her last place wasn't enough to meet her needs, so for now I thought she could crash here."
That did explain a lot. Minato had been wondering about what was being built near them. Good for Shido and Tohka, he supposed. They would be next-door neighbors and able to see each other more.
"Neat." He was satisfied from Kotori's explanation.
"Since brother's not home yet, why don't one of you take a shower?" Kotori suggested to Minato and Tohka. "You both came from school while it was raining, after all."
Minato and Tohka exchanged looks.
"Ladies first," the former offered. He could wait for his turn.
Minato gestured for Tohka to follow him to the bathroom and then placed his hands in his pockets. Tohka nodded, munched, and swallowed another loaf of kinako bread before walking behind Minato. They walked through the halls and up the stairs, eventually stopping in front of the second floor's bathroom door.
"Is this it, Minato?" Tohka pointed to the door. Minato gave her a thumbs up.
"Yup. If you need anything, just call for me or Kotori, okay?"
"Gotcha!" Tohka smiled and entered the bathroom.
Afterwards, Minato went to his own room and surveyed it when he entered. He didn't have many things in there. There was an average-sized bed, a desk with some of his school notes and books, a small flat screen TV set, and a small table on the floor. It wasn't much, but he only needed the essentials. He tossed his school blazer to the floor and laid down on his bed.
Contemplation occupied his mind as he stared at the ceiling of his room.
'No progress on my memories still,' Minato mused. 'It has been fun these past couple of weeks, but… why was I unconscious in front of Raizen High? What was I doing before all this?'
The blue-haired boy then retrieved his Evoker from his pocket. He hadn't told anybody about it and preferred to keep it that way for now. Spacequakes aside, this world was relatively peaceful. There was no need for him to call upon his Personas. Still, he kept his Evoker with him wherever he went just in case.
He focused and thought about his ultimate Persona.
'Messiah...'
Messiah, a fusion of Orpheus and Thanatos – Minato's original Persona and the personification of death respectively. Messiah symbolized the salvation of mankind, and as general religious knowledge was a figure of death and rebirth. He had assumed his own Personas would give some indication about his past but could only surmise that he had went through a journey of sorts since he already had his ultimate Persona.
The only other clues he had to go on were his red armband and Evoker; both had "S.E.E.S." inscribed. Those made him inclined to believe he was in a group of fellow Persona-users.
But that was all he could figure out right now. It made him wonder if he would ever find his answers, like if there were people waiting for him somewhere or not.
There was one silver lining to his situation at least.
"I'm home!" A voice bellowed from downstairs. It sounded like Shido finally returned. "Kotori, Minato, I'm gonna take a shower."
Minato could hear Shido's footsteps as the latter walked up the stairs. He could've sworn he was forgetting something, though.
"YOU DUMMY, GET OUT!" Tohka's voice yelled.
"WAH!" Shido then cried out. Loud thuds soon followed.
Oh, that's right. Tohka was in the bathroom.
Minato got up from his bed and poked his head out of his room's door. He saw an annoyed-looking Shido exiting the bathroom while wearing nothing but boxers as the two boys made eye contact.
"Why is Tohka here?" Shido exasperatedly asked his fellow bluenette.
"Kotori said Tohka would be living here for a while," Minato answered.
"Should've known…" Shido sighed, walking down the stairs. "Kotori! You've got some explaining to do, little sister!"
"Whoops, forgot to warn you, big bro! Sorry!" He heard Kotori responding to her brother.
A nap sounded good at the moment while everybody sorted things out, so Minato went back to his room and rested on his bed.
He gave his Evoker another glance before putting it away, feeling content for the time being and closing his eyes.
'I'm not alone.'
"...It has been some time. He has yet to disappear and reappear like the others. No spacequakes have occurred in this timespan that were located in Japan either."
"But we can confirm that he is one of them?"
"Yes... We've detected vast amounts of mana within him that have been heavily suppressed. His powers and abilities are unknown at this time."
"Hmph... We need to give him a reason to use his powers, otherwise we're unable to perform a full analysis on him. Maybe we can pit him against those girls?"
"That is a viable hypothesis."
"Then that will be the plan, everyone!"
Minato was relieved to see no girls approaching him as lunchtime started today at school. It looked like they got the picture at last. He released a sigh and allowed his body to be at ease.
"Someone's happy," Shido remarked with a laugh.
"The free food was not worth it," Minato replied.
"The guys here would beg to differ." Shido smiled wryly. "Then again, I'm not one to talk…"
"No kidding," the amnesiac bluenette said dryly.
"I don't see Tohka or Tobiichi yet, but do you want to start eating lunch, Minato?" Shido asked. No signs of the two girls in question yet, which was odd but he wanted to seize this brief respite.
Minato nodded and brought out the bento he had prepared with Shido from home earlier. He got up and turned his desk around to eat with Shido.
This fleeting peace wouldn't last as another desk was then pushed into Shido's.
"Shido, it's lunchtime!" Tohka happily said, now back in the classroom with the two blue-haired boys and finished moving her desk to be on Shido's right.
A moment later, Origami appeared and had the same idea as Tohka, occupying Shido's left side.
So much for that break.
"What do you want?" Tohka asked her rival of Shido's affection, placing her hands on her hips and sounding annoyed. "Leave us alone."
"Right back at you," Origami answered with venom. Panicking, Shido swiftly raised his arms between the two girls.
"How about we all just eat lunch together?" Shido requested. The two girls nodded with glares as they proceeded to sit down next to Shido.
At the same time, Minato, Shido, and Tohka revealed their lunches. The contents were exactly the same for all three bentos.
Origami instantly narrowed her eyes at the sight.
Shido began sweating profusely after seeing Origami's face.
"What are you staring at? Don't think I'm gonna share any of my food with you," Tohka scoffed at Origami, thinking that the white-haired girl wanted to eat her food.
"What is going on?" Origami asked in an almost threatening tone.
"W-Well..." Shido stuttered. Seeing as how Shido was going to lie, and he was horrible at lying, Minato decided to intervene.
"I prepared our bentos today, Tobiichi-san," he calmly answered. Origami focused her gaze on Minato. Shido used this moment to take a deep breath and exhale with relief.
"You made them? Why give one to Yatogami then?" Origami claimed sternly. Her dislike for Tohka was ever-present.
"I gave one to Tohka to show my appreciation for her being my friend," Minato simply stated. He did actually prepare the three bentos but was careful to leave out the detail of Tohka living with Shido and him.
There was enough tension in this love triangle as is. Adding more fuel to the fire would be unwise.
"Minato…" Tohka softly said, feeling touched.
Origami couldn't help but feel envious, even if it wasn't readily apparent on her face. She was no fool. She had observed how close Minato had become with Shido and Tohka, and that made her unhappy. Of course, she had no one to blame but herself for feeling this way. She was the one who left Minato in Shido's care, and due to her circumstances she didn't have time to spend with the amnesiac boy outside of school.
She was happy that he was being taken care of and adjusting without much trouble, but where did that leave her?
"Don't worry, Tobiichi-san. I can make a bento lunch for you too, if you want." She lifted her head up, looking directly at Minato with slight shock. "You're my friend also, and I still owe you for finding me that day."
A hint of a smile emerged from the white-haired girl's mouth. It was so small that no one was able to see it.
Perhaps it wasn't too late after all.
"...Thank you, Mina–"
"The signature of a spacequake has been detected in the area. This is not a drill. Please evacuate immediately. The signature of a spacequake has been detected in the area. This is not a drill. Please evacuate immediately," a siren roared from outside.
"A spacequake?" Minato muttered with widened eyes. This was his first time experiencing the real deal. Shido and Origami confirmed his question with serious nods. The white-haired girl then stood up from her desk and advanced towards the back door of the classroom. Every other student in the classroom proceeded to do the same in an orderly fashion shortly after.
"Evacuate?" Tohka asked cluelessly, her mouth full from her lunch.
"We're leaving Tohka behind?" Shido inquired hesitantly. He was talking with a gray-haired woman who was probably in her late 20's or early 30's at the far end of the evacuation lines, standing a few feet away from Minato and Tohka. The calm blue-haired boy was busy explaining to the gluttonous girl where they would be going soon.
"Yeah. With her powers sealed, she's practically the same as a normal human being," Murasame Reine, the physics teacher of Raizen High and assistant homeroom teacher of Class 2-4, stated. "Furthermore, we don't want to expose her to the ongoing battles between Spirits and the AST. Her stress levels may increase from that."
"I know, but..." Shido trailed off, not entirely fine with keeping Tohka out of the loop.
"Shin, bring Arisato Minato with you as well," Reine told him.
"What!?" Shido exclaimed incredulously. "But he's just a normal human! He doesn't have anything to do with this! I'm not bringing him with me!"
"Kotori already placed an order on this, Shin. Bring him with you to confront the Spirit. There is another reason why he's going with you. It will take too long to explain, however. Just have him go with you," Reine insisted composedly.
"But..." Shido knew very well he couldn't go against his sister's orders, unless he wanted to face punishment. But this was Minato, his friend. A normal person. He didn't want him to get hurt. What was the point of bringing him along anyway?
"Hey, Itsuka-kun, Arisato-kun, and Yatogami-san! Murasame-sensei, you too!" Okamine Tamae called out for the four who were currently at the end of the evacuation lines. She was heading towards them while panicking. "If you don't hurry to the shelter with us, you'll be in danger!"
When Tamae reached the group, Shido gave her Tohka's hand.
"Sensei, can you look after Tohka for me?" Shido requested seriously.
Minato raised an eyebrow. What was Shido doing? It didn't sound like he was coming with them at all.
"W-Well, of course I'll take care of her," Tamae answered with a hint of confusion in her voice. Tohka faced Shido, completely confused about what he was doing.
"Shido?" She murmured his name concernedly.
"Tohka, I have something important to deal with. Please follow Sensei and the other students to the shelter," Shido ordered. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"B-But it's dangerous..." Tohka tried to voice out her concern.
"Hey. Where are you going, Shido?" Minato interjected. He was curious about what Shido was planning to do right now when a disaster was about to happen in the city.
"I don't have time to explain, Minato, but I need you to come with me." Shido held out his hand.
"But we need to evacuate," the blue-haired amnesiac reasoned calmly.
"Please, trust me, Minato," Shido pleaded. His voice didn't falter once. He was serious.
Considering the predicament everyone was in, Minato chose to place his trust in Shido. He was rather unsure of what his friend was going to do, but his gut feeling told him that Shido knew exactly what he was doing.
"Fine..." Minato complied. "But I won't hold your hand."
Shido smirked in response.
In any case, if push came to shove, Minato could always use his Personas. He never attempted to use a Persona skill during his time with the Itsukas, so it was more so a last resort.
"Shido? Minato?" Tohka looked at the two blue-haired teens with uncertainty. She felt left out.
"We'll be fine, Tohka," Shido assured her. Minato nodded. "We promise!"
The blue-haired teens then ran in the opposite direction of the evacuation lines along with Murasame Reine.
"Eh!? Itsuka-kun, Arisato-kun, Murasame-sensei!" Tamae called out. "Where are you three going!?"
Tohka placed her hand on chest. A sad look appeared on her face.
"Shido... Minato..."
Next: Chapter Three: One of a Kind
Preview:
"Shido..."
"Ohohoho!"
"What is this...?"
"Is he...?"
"None of that will work on me."
"No... Stay away from me! Get away!"
"Give up."
"It seems as though we're dealing with something the likes of which we've never seen before."
"Persona!"
A/N: So... how did you guys like the chapter? I liked it... Just wanted to show off some developing bonds. I even added Kurumi in for those of you who just absolutely love her. Heheheh...
Alright! So, Minato is now going with Shido to see Yoshino, although he doesn't know it yet! What will happen? Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of The Divine Spirit!
To be PERFECTLY honest, I did not think that this story was going to be this popular hahaha... I'm extremely glad that many of you guys like it so far! You all have my gratitude!
As always, thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated!
Also, I'm making another crossover story! It has Persona 3, but what is the other thing? Hmmm... Expect something around the beginning of May!
Reviewers:
hack. salvation: OOC? Minato's practically a heroic mime. He's a character that can be molded. I'm not completely going by the manga version of him. I am borrowing his traits however.
Redmoon2: Minato will be one of the main characters! Yay!
Seeker213: I will say this now: No Date A Live character will have Personas.
will: Sorry, but not this chapter... NEXT CHAPTER WILL, THOUGH!
One of the Guests: Maybe... *looks away*
(Modified as of March 2019)