Chapter 5: Raining Affections
"The thing is, I don't like pain; being scared. I can't stand it. I bet everyone hates those things. How could they not? Any creature that feels has to despise them." — Yoshino
In all fairness to Tohka, she was a spirited glutton, so Minato didn't expect anything else when she had started stress eating after he returned and gave her the kinako bread she requested. He had pulled up a chair and waited while she sat on her bed in her room to eat.
Some minutes passed, and Tohka was still devouring the bread he purchased for her. Minato normally wouldn't mind if this were any other occasion, but his patience grew thin as it was becoming darker outside. He knew both her and himself were exhausted today for many reasons and needed proper rest. They had to talk about Shido and this whole Spirit ordeal, but she might be unconsciously avoiding the topic. He had a feeling she was already aware of his intentions, noticing how she would sometimes avoid eye contact with him.
After Tohka had downed what seemed like her tenth loaf of bread, Minato broke the ice with her.
"Are you done yet?" He asked.
"Nope, just give me a second to finish eating," Tohka responded in-between bites.
He took that response quite literally.
"...Are you ready now?" The bluenette tilted his head.
Tohka narrowed her eyes at him, pausing from eating.
"I told you to wait!"
"I gave you a second like you wanted," Minato stated simply.
Tohka swallowed the remaining bread in her mouth and heavily sighed.
"You win." She lowered her head, staring at her lap without uttering a word as a minute passed.
Minato could sense how uncomfortable and confused she was, so again he made the first move.
"You're a Spirit," he said straightforwardly. The knee jerk-reaction of her body visibly tensing up was the confirmation he required. "It's alright, Tohka. Kotori told me about everything, like her organization, Spirits, and the AST. I was told about you too."
He nearly mentioned Shido's name to her but stopped himself. Tohka becoming more relaxed with him was important right now.
"You…" Tohka's gaze met his, uncertainty apparent. "You don't think I'm a monster, Minato?"
Her innocent question earned herself a raised eyebrow from him.
"Of course not, Tohka." Minato shook his head.
"Do you really mean it?" She didn't sound convinced yet, so he had to coddle her.
"I do really mean it." He nodded.
There was an eager gleam in her eyes, but she stilll didn't look completely convinced.
"Do you really really mean it!?" Tohka asked him again with hopefulness.
Minato actually smiled to ease her worries.
"I do really really mean it. You'll always be my friend, Tohka," he gently assured.
Tohka seemed finally satisfied from that, because her once tense facial features were now displaying relief.
"I'm so glad… I was scared that we couldn't be friends anymore if you knew the truth about me…" Tohka admitted, raising her head to smile at him. "Thank you for being my friend."
"You're welcome, Tohka." Minato gave her a thumbs-up.
Tohka beamed, although that expression was then replaced with confusion. She eyed him inquisitively.
"Minato… Are you a Spirit too?" Tohka wondered.
Her question didn't surprise him. If Shido witnessed what happened during their confrontation with Hermit, then Tohka most likely did as well.
"I am," he answered candidly.
Tohka's eyes lit up as she immediately stood up from her bed and intruded Minato's personal space, almost making him twitch.
"I knew it! Then you are just like me!" Tohka exclaimed excitedly. "What was that power of yours? You beat the mecha mecha squad so fast!"
He assumed the mecha mecha squad was likely Tohka's nickname for the AST. How aptly put.
"Persona," the blue-haired boy said.
Tohka tilted her head and stared at him.
"Per… sona?"
Knowing she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, Minato tried his best in simplifying his explanation for her.
"I can summon beings called Personas from my thoughts and use them for attacks, healing, and other stuff," he clarified.
"Whoaaa, that sounds so cool!" Tohka praised, understanding his description of Personas with eagerness. "Can you show me a Persona right now like that white one from before!?"
He smiled thinly at her enthusiasm.
"Sorry, but no," Minato declined politely. He might have humored her if it weren't for what Kotori had informed him a while ago. "The mecha mecha squad might find me."
Tohka puffed her cheeks in dismay.
"Ugh, those witches ruin everything! Tobiichi Origami especially," she huffed.
The rivalry between her and Origami sounded more complex than Minato initially thought instead of a mere teenage love triangle with Shido.
"Can I ask what happened between you two?" He wondered.
There was a pause of hesitation from Tohka, though ultimately she gave in after frustratingly scrambling her hair with her fingers.
"That day when I met Shido... Origami was the most stubborn one from the mecha mecha squad that was out to kill me," Tohka spat out, sitting on her bed again. "She's like a bug I can't swat away, always ruining moments between Shido and me. It's super annoying. And there was that time on my date with Shido where I thought she killed him…"
"Killed?" Minato frowned.
Tohka nodded with a straight face.
"That's right. Shido offered me his hand to stay with him, and that's when it happened. He pushed me out of the way, and then the next moment I saw a big hole through his body. That awful memory will never leave my mind. I was… very sad. I wanted to avenge him. I wanted to kill Origami when I found where she was hiding. I almost did it too until…"
"Until…?" He subtly urged her to continue.
Remorse had struck him upon seeing a lone tear treading down her cheek.
"I saw Shido falling from the sky with no wounds somehow. Origami was the last thing on my mind when I went to catch Shido. I… I didn't know how he was okay all of a sudden, but I didn't care!" Like a dam bursting, Tohka finally let all her tears flow. "I was so happy to see him alive! The world didn't take him away from me! But now… But now I don't know how I feel. Shido cares more about that little girl than me, and there's this tight feeling in my chest that won't leave… What's wrong with me, Minato?"
The boy in question had remained composed throughout Tohka's tale, taking in everything. The poor Spirit girl had experienced so much and didn't know how to handle her current feelings. Now he had a better grasp of Tohka, and as a person first and foremost.
He offered her a tissue as an act of compassion, which she slowly accepted and used to dry her tears.
"There isn't anything wrong with you, Tohka," Minato promised, smiling once more. "Listen, that kiss you saw really was an accident. Shido was trying to catch that little girl after she slipped and fell. Don't let what that rabbit said get to you either. Shido cares about you so much he risks his own life to save yours, doesn't he? There's no way you're less important to him anymore."
Tohka's eyes widened in realization.
"H-He did save me earlier, just like he did on our date…" She murmured.
"And I believe he'll do it again in a heartbeat," Minato stated, highlighting the other bluenette's altruism. "Shido will never stop caring about you, Tohka. I guarantee it."
"Shido…" Tohka softly said, having her hand over her heart. She closed her eyes briefly and opened them a moment later. "For some reason, hearing this from you makes me believe things will be alright. I think that weird sensation in my chest is starting to go away. My head even feels clearer now."
It looked like she was calming down at last. But she then inclined her head towards him with furrowed eyebrows.
"Hold on, why were you and Shido with that little girl anyway, Minato?"
He should've expected that question at some point, but honestly it didn't cross his mind as he had been too focused on Tohka's mental state first.
"Because she's a Spirit like us," Minato confessed calmly.
"She is…?" Tohka asked, surprised. He nodded.
"Yeah. You and I aren't the only Spirits in this world, Tohka. Shido told me he has an ability that can help Spirits by kissing them. Their powers will be sealed inside him, and the AST won't go after them. Just like what happened to you. I was with Shido to protect him with my powers in case something went wrong. He and Kotori also said they're trying to save all Spirits so that they won't get hurt."
"That does make sense… It does sound like something Shido and his sister would do..." Tohka trailed off. Her lips formed a scowl. "Isn't there another way Shido can save Spirits without kissing them, though?"
This time, the blue-haired boy didn't have a sure-fire answer. If there was an alternate method, Kotori hadn't told him. Or perhaps she wasn't aware either.
"I don't know." Minato shrugged.
Tohka was understandably displeased as she grumbled.
"Well, I don't want other Spirits to suffer like me… But just thinking about Shido kissing other girls makes me furious and I don't know why…"
Minato wished he had an appropriate response to give her, although how would anyone respond to a situation like this? As a result, he came up with nothing. Despite this, Tohka apparently believed she found a solution.
"I got it!" She said with vigor. "I know a way where I won't feel bad if Shido kisses another girl!"
"You do?" Arching an eyebrow, Minato was curious to hear her idea.
"Mhm!" Tohka looked delighted. "When Shido has to kiss someone else, he has to kiss me every time to make up for it! He can keep saving Spirits while I get kisses from him too!"
…
That was shockingly more simple than Minato anticipated. Yet if Tohka was content with this approach, then who was he to judge? This would make things easier for Shido with future Spirit encounters.
He supposed his work here was finished the moment Tohka got up and suddenly hugged him, legitimately catching him off guard. Even though her Spirit powers were sealed inside Shido, he found himself wincing from her bear hug. He felt their friendly bond was becoming stronger at least.
"Thanks for talking to me, Minato. I feel so much better now!" Tohka said joyfully.
"Anytime..." Minato gasped out, patting her back.
Thankfully she released him shortly after, which gave him a better view of Tohka's signature smile. She was back to her normal self.
"Phew, all of that talking made me hungry." A growl from Tohka's stomach followed afterwards. Some things never change. "When's dinner, Minato?"
"Shido's making it right now," Minato told her.
"Ooh, nice! I get to apologize to him for me being dumb and eat his cooking!" Tohka went to exit her room, having to halt when she noticed the bluenette wasn't following her. "Come on, Minato! I want to see who will win in a speed eating race tonight!"
Minato smiled amusedly, standing up from his chair.
"You're on, Tohka."
Tohka smirked arrogantly.
"I'm not gonna hold back!"
As the two Spirits reached Tohka's door, she stopped again and looked at Minato funny.
"Wait a minute, since you're a Spirit too, did you kiss Shido?" She asked him innocently.
Minato had to suppress the choking noise he was close to letting out.
"No. I'm a special case." He shook his head.
To his bemusement, Tohka appeared disappointed.
"Aww, I was hoping I could get an extra kiss from Shido…"
Minato had elected himself to be on dish duty tonight. There was a stack of plates to clean, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He found the silent ambience in the kitchen to be soothing while he did the chore.
Curry was on the menu tonight, courtesy of chef Shido. Dinnertime felt quite nice this evening too with Tohka in high spirits once more. It was rather wholesome to see Tohka and Shido being unable to find the right words to say to each other momentarily and then apologize simultaneously for their actions. They fully reconciled with Shido patting Tohka's head, a gesture the latter enjoyed greatly from him in particular. It was originally going to be a kiss, but Shido was too flustered to give Tohka one while Minato was in front of them. That would explain why Tohka dragged Shido away in such a hurry after they finished eating their meals.
The eating contest had surprisingly ended in a draw, but Tohka didn't mind it much as she got to interact with Shido on better terms.
It had only been the three of them at the dining room table. Kotori hadn't returned to join them throughout the whole duration. Shido chalked it up to her work as a commander and set aside her dinner portion with plastic wrap. A shame, because Shido's food was especially tasty tonight and her lack of presence was slightly noticeable to Minato. It wasn't enough to deter from the happy atmosphere the trio were able to create by themselves but noticeable regardless.
By the time Minato had washed all the dishes and dried his hands, he spotted the redhead herself walking into the room. He quietly made note of her wearing black ribbons, thinking she was in her commander mode still. They exchanged looks and she casually approached him.
"Here, Minato. Catch."
She had tossed a small object in his direction very quickly but fortunately his reflexes didn't fail him as he caught it with both of his hands. He raised an eyebrow when he realized he was touching something metallic and inspected the object further.
Interestingly, it turned out to be a smartphone. If his memory served him correctly, this particular model seemed to be the same one that Shido and Kotori carried, except the color was black while theirs were blue and yellow respectively.
"For me?" Minato asked.
"Yup." Kotori nodded. "I was gonna give you it a while ago, but I couldn't come up with a decent explanation without sounding totally shady. It'd be really weird if I just gave you a brand new smartphone out of the blue, you know? No doubt you'd get suspicious."
"What's the occasion then?" His curiosity had been piqued. Kotori scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"Uh… how do I put this?" The young girl muttered and folded her arms. "Because you know about my job and Spirits now, I thought the timing couldn't be better. Having a smartphone can help you stay in contact with me and Shido in case something happens. It didn't look like you had a phone on you either while you've been living with us, so here you go. What student in this day and age doesn't have one, am I right? Not that I can blame you, given your situation. I'll be giving Tohka one as well once we're done saving Hermit. Don't worry, the expenses are all covered by Ratatoskr including the unlimited data. I already added Shido's number and mine to your phone too."
This was… awfully generous of Kotori. Minato had to admit, the fact that he had gone this long without a cellular device was jarring. He took a moment to browse through his newly acquired phone and nodded to himself after examining its contents.
"Thank you, Kotori." Minato smiled lightly at her.
Kotori carefreely waved her hand.
"Don't mention it. Oh, and take this too." She placed a tiny red item in his free palm. "It's an earpiece for communicating with me and my crew. This will let us properly coordinate with you and Shido during Spirit operations. It can even turn invisible so others won't know that we're feeding you information. Keep it on you at all times like your phone, capisce?"
"Understood," Minato replied, putting his gadgets into his pockets.
"Heh, you're quick on the uptake," Kotori noted, smirking. "You definitely eased into this faster than Shido did." The redhead then stretched her arms, implying she hadn't been able to officially relax yet. "Well, I'm famished. Being a commander can be exhausting, lemme tell you."
She made her way to the dining room table, unwrapping the plate of curry Shido had left for her and began chowing down. Her eyes suddenly went wide after a few bites as she visibly shook.
"S-Spicy!" Kotori wheezed. She pointed at the refrigerator unsteadily. "D-Do me a favor and hand me a water bottle, p-please."
Minato responded to her plight by fetching a water bottle and handing it to her. She swiftly started drinking and let out a relieved sigh when she was finished.
"That hit the spot…" Kotori blinked and the look on her face that followed suggested she remembered something. "By the way, did you talk to Tohka? We were monitoring her mood in Fraxinus and trying to figure out what to do until we noticed an abrupt spike in happiness."
"I did." Minato nodded. "I told Tohka the truth of what went down with Hermit and Shido's role of saving Spirits. I don't think we'll have to worry too much about her getting upset with Shido when he has to romance other Spirits in the future now."
"No kidding?" Kotori sounded pleased. "Reine was actually going to have a chat with Tohka, but you beat her to the punch. It seems there's more to you than meets the eye."
He shrugged.
"It felt like the right thing to do."
She snorted.
"You sound like Shido. Anyway, I appreciate what you did. You should go get some rest now, Minato. It's been a long day after all."
Kotori resumed alternating between eating dinner and drinking her water whenever it became too hot for her to handle. Concluding they had discussed everything necessary, Minato turned to leave and retire for the evening.
"Hey…"
He glanced over his shoulder and saw the redhead looking peculiarly pensive.
"Do you believe you were a human at some point?"
There was a certain gravity to her voice that he detected. It was almost like she had that thought for a long time.
A part of him wanted to say he was formerly a human, even with his Persona abilities. He couldn't prove how. It was merely a feeling in his bones.
Was it possible for humans to become Spirits? And if so, then how?
Unfortunately, his current knowledge on the matter was lacking, his amnesia still proving to be disadvantageous for him, and expressed such to her.
"I want to say yes, but I have no way of knowing for sure," Minato answered honestly.
"Fair enough." Kotori smiled wryly. "Well, I should finish my food before it gets cold. I'll see you tomorrow, Minato."
'Interesting…' The boy mused.
This girl might know more than she was letting on due to her behavior. But for the time being, this was most likely all the hints he would be receiving. He kept this in mind just to be safe.
"Good night, Kotori," Minato said, leaving her to her dinner and going to bed.
When he had woken up the next morning and went downstairs for breakfast, Minato discovered he was alone in the house with Tohka, who was stuffing her face with eggs and bacon. A message from Kotori on his new phone informed him she already took off for Fraxinus. As for Shido, Tohka said the elder Itsuka sibling had to go someplace but didn't mention where. The thought of messaging Shido crossed his mind, but nothing urgent was occurring that needed his presence so he held off on the act.
Rain once again fell from the skies. It was a good thing today happened to be Sunday, so there was no school in session. This may be an opportune time to take it easy.
At least, that was what he intended until Kotori called him after he had eaten his own breakfast.
"Minato, we're picking up Hermit's signal from the mall you and Shido were at yesterday. Could you go and make contact with her? I'd ask Shido, but he went to Origami's place by himself and we can't re-establish a connection. Origami is probably jamming us with her own tech, which is really irritating. Until we can get in touch with Shido again, try to get buddy-buddy with Hermit in the meantime."
Well that explained where Shido went. Minato wasn't surprised by this turn of events.
The day off was a no-go, although it didn't bother him as he prepared himself to see Hermit.
He was about to walk out the door when Tohka tapped his shoulder, grabbing his attention.
"Can I go with you?"
"Thanks for bringing me along, Minato!" Tohka said to the boy as they walked together with umbrellas, warding off the rain.
"No problem," he responded frankly.
Minato didn't see the harm in taking Tohka with him to visit Hermit. Despite the two female Spirits getting off on the wrong foot, that didn't mean they couldn't bury the hatchet. Kotori had been hesitant about the idea at first but eventually yielded. Tohka was also pretty adamant about going; he had to comply otherwise she presumably would've left anyway.
"I…" Tohka began, looking sad. "I acted like a huge jerk to that little girl, so I want to tell her I'm sorry face-to-face."
Her motive had shocked him in a good way. He was impressed by how mature the gluttonous girl was behaving. His conversation with her from last night produced more positive effects than he expected.
"Do you think I can be friends with her?" Tohka inquired hopefully.
"I don't see why not," Minato stated. He would hope they were able to do so.
That answer did the trick as Tohka smiled.
Eventually, the two Spirits arrived at the alleyway where Minato fought off the AST. Hermit's location was here, according to Kotori. There was rubble scattered from yesterday's battle and even though the area was technically cordoned off, it was rather effortless to slip past the yellow tape that was intended to keep out civilians.
It was a piece of cake to spot Hermit as well, for she wore a distinctive green hoodie. The Spirit was crouching in front of a pile of debris, searching for Yoshinon undoubtedly. Minato would've brought said puppet with him but felt Shido would be better suited to give it to her. Sadly, he didn't have the chance to hand over Yoshinon yet to him, so the puppet was still back at the house.
"Found you!" Tohka pointed at Hermit, and the little girl jumped. It wasn't surprising to Minato when Hermit promptly tried to make a run for it upon seeing him and Tohka. "W-Wait! We just want to talk!"
In behalf of both good and bad luck, Hermit's escape was foiled when she tripped over a concrete fragment on the ground and fell, allowing Minato and Tohka to close the distance between them and her.
"Are you okay?" Minato asked as Hermit was getting up by herself.
Hermit was startled from making eye contact with Minato but didn't back away for some reason.
"I-It's you…" She said demurely, recognizing the blue-haired boy.
"I'm here too!" Tohka interjected with a smile, though the gesture caused Hermit to squeak and hide behind Minato. Tohka grimaced quickly, not that Minato could blame her.
"It's alright," Minato assured Hermit, inclining his head to Tohka. "She has something to say to you."
Hermit looked at him and then Tohka curiously, waiting to see what would happen next.
"Y-Yeah." Tohka twiddled her thumbs before bowing in front of the young Spirit. "I thought Shido liked you more than me, and… because of that I was really mean to you and your puppet. I'm sorry. I was a big jerk."
The sound of raindrops aided the silence which came after Tohka's apology in relieving the tension. The younger girl hiding behind Minato's body had poked her head out a moment later. The guilty look on her face didn't go unnoticed.
"I-I'm sorry too, Tohka-san," Hermit replied meekly, causing Tohka to raise her head in confusion. "I remember Yoshinon hurting your feelings by saying those mean things, and I didn't do anything to stop her…"
"Yoshinon? You mean the rabbit?" Tohka inquired. Hermit nodded in response.
"What's your name, then?" Minato added. The Spirit's eyes met his.
"I'm… Yoshino," the blue-haired girl introduced herself at last. "Um… you're Minato-san, right?"
Minato nodded.
"Mhm."
Yoshino looked sullen.
"You're not… angry with me?"
He tilted his head.
"Why would I be?"
"I… may be wrong, but didn't I hurt you when I ran away yesterday?" Yoshino wondered.
The part where she rammed him with her Angel definitely wasn't false. But it was thanks to his split second thinking that let him come out unscathed. He actually forgot that incident even happened, considering everything else that occurred since then.
"I'm perfectly okay, Yoshino. And I'm not upset with you at all," Minato affirmed gently.
"Thank goodness…" Yoshino body posture loosened up. "Without Yoshinon, I got very scared and acted recklessly… I don't like pain, so I was really worried that I hurt you."
"Gee, she's quite a sweetheart, isn't she?" Kotori remarked through Minato's earpiece. "That would explain why she usually flees from the AST instead of fighting back."
The bluenette couldn't agree more. From his first impressions of Yoshino, she wouldn't even hurt a fly. In fact, if she somehow did, she would probably apologize profusely.
"Oh by the way, Minato. We were able to contact Shido finally," Kotori relayed. "He's on his way home right now, so why don't you bring Yoshino and rendezvous with him? We'll brief him on what happened too."
His attention was redirected to the sound of growling coming from Yoshino's stomach.
The little girl flushed bright red when she realized two pairs of eyes were set on her.
It sounded like somebody was hungry.
Tohka approached Yoshino and crouched down, smiling gently.
"Wanna come home with us and get something to eat?"
It took a bit of convincing, but Minato and Tohka were able to bring Yoshino to the Itsukas' house. The little Spirit had been worried about being a bother to the high schoolers, even while she sat nervously in the living room. It did seem like she was warming up to them, if Ratatoskr's analysis of her mood was accurate. The tension between Yoshino and Tohka had mostly evaporated after the two girls apologized to each other, which was a good start to earning Yoshino's trust. Tohka's inherent bubbly nature helped as well.
Shido had coincidentally arrived home at the same time the three Spirits returned. Like earlier, Yoshino acted shyly while introducing herself to Shido but her stomach let out a growl again, causing Shido to laugh it off and welcome her into his house.
Tohka thought it would be a good idea to watch TV with Yoshino to kill time while food was being prepared for the latter. Interestingly enough, Yoshino found herself absorbed with a soap opera show. At least it was keeping her busy in the meantime.
Even when Kotori suggested that Shido should be the one cooking for Yoshino to "get those affection points up", Shido already planned on doing so by preparing a simple rice bowl. It was him and Minato in the kitchen currently, though Shido was doing the main bulk of the preparations while Minato assisted here and there.
Minato had been curious of what happened between Shido and Origami earlier, so he initiated.
"I heard you went to see Tobiichi-san," Minato spoke quietly enough to be out of Tohka and Yoshino's hearing range.
"Ah, you already know," Shido responded, sighing. "Origami wanted to have a private chat with me."
"You're saying 'Origami' now?" Minato asked. For as long as he knew Shido and Origami, the former would always address the latter with her last name.
"Yeah." Shido chuckled. "She was… pretty stubborn about that, because I call you and Tohka by you guys' first names all the time. I guess she was jealous?"
"I see," Minato said indifferently. "Is she still mad at me?"
Shido gave him a pained smile.
"I'd be lying if I said no."
Minato frowned. Not unexpected but disappointing nonetheless.
Shido scratched the back of his head with a glum look on his face.
"I'll fill you in later about everything else she and I discussed. Anyway, I tried my best to dissuade Origami about all this. She did interrogate me about a few things, like you and Tohka, and what I am…"
"What you are…?" Minato was intrigued.
"Oh, right. You wouldn't know, but during my date with Tohka there was a point where I got shot," Shido elaborated.
Minato immediately recalled what Tohka had told him last night but refrained from expressing it and let Shido continue.
"I pushed Tohka out of the way, and then everything became dark… I then got up while feeling like my body was on fire, and the next thing I knew I was falling from the sky and Tohka caught me. When I actually had a moment to get my bearings, I seemed to be perfectly fine like nothing happened."
"So you healed yourself?" Minato wondered.
"I think so?" Shido hesitated. "Honestly, I don't really know how that happened when I look back on it. It was shortly after my date with Tohka that I met you, then you and Tohka transferred into my school. Things kept happening, and I just kinda forgot about the whole ordeal until Origami brought it up today."
Shido's facial features tightened, appearing somewhat frustrated from his musings.
From the moment Shido told him about his unusual ability to seal Spirits' powers, Minato knew his friend was not the ordinary human boy he once assumed. The more information he received, more layers of complexity were added to Shido's character. Minato had a sinking feeling Kotori would withhold the truth from him if he asked, or perhaps she didn't have all the pieces and her current knowledge merely scratched the surface.
Minato couldn't help but wonder what was going on. There were several mysteries surrounding him and his friends. His own transformation into a Spirit, Shido's inexplicable ability, and Spirits' origins. It couldn't have been just mere coincidences. There was something larger they weren't seeing yet, but Minato didn't know what exactly.
This was truly bothersome.
"Human or not, it doesn't change who you are on the inside, Shido," Minato stated. "Just like how me being a Spirit doesn't change things between all of us in the long run."
"Minato…" Shido uttered.
"I want answers like you, and it seems as though we're all connected now by these unknown factors," Minato continued. "The next step would be working together to figure things out, right?"
Shido released a small chuckle.
"I don't know how you keep being this optimistic even with amnesia, Minato."
"I think it helps that I've got you and the others," Minato replied. "Who knows if the memories I'm missing are painful or not, but either way I'm also not held back by them. On top of being a Spirit, I've got plenty of reasons to stay in this city, so I may as well do what I can to contribute. It doesn't sit well with me to just do nothing while knowing you and Ratatoskr are out there saving Spirits."
"Heh, fair enough," Shido relented, convinced. "It's honestly nice to speak to somebody about all this. Of course I could always do it with Tohka or Kotori, but… I don't know. I'd rather not unload my thoughts onto them, especially with their situations. And I find it easy to talk to you, Minato, so… thanks for being here."
Shido certainly had a lot more on his plate than he cared to admit. He was the main operative in saving Spirits, and he wasn't an active ladykiller by choice. Minato could only imagine the amount of stress Shido was feeling from being tossed into this new way of life, with not many people to consult as well.
Kotori was right. Shido needed more friends.
"Mm." Minato smiled at his friend.
For someone who denied being hungry earlier, Yoshino had quite the appetite once she had her first bite of the warm meal given to her at the dining room table. The face she made too was cute. Minato pitied her for how transparent it was that she was unable to keep eating regularly enough to survive before he met her. That could change finally today depending how swimmingly things went.
This wasn't a proper date Shido was having with Yoshino right now due to Minato and Tohka being extra wheels, but Yoshino seemed content so it didn't matter.
Once Yoshino was finished with her food, it was time to get down to business. Shido inquired the young girl about her attachment to Yoshinon to start things off. Fortunately, Yoshino had become comfortable enough to speak more about herself. To her, Yoshinon was her best friend and hero. The two of them were polar opposites of each other. Yoshino was rather meek and hesitant, while Yoshinon was more courageous and unafraid to speak her mind. Yoshinon gave Yoshino confidence when they were together, and that was why she panicked when Tohka snatched Yoshinon away yesterday. Her eyes were all-telling of her self-esteem as she continued to explain.
"I wish I could be more like Yoshinon. She's my role model. Without her, I'm weak and shy."
"I wouldn't say that," Shido interjected gently. "Honestly, I like the Yoshino I'm seeing right now."
Yoshino gasped lightly from the compliment before pulling down her hood.
Smooth. That came out so naturally without any aid. Shido didn't seem to be aware of just how impactful those words could mean to people, especially girls, as he tilted his head in confusion.
"Huh? What's the matter?" Shido asked innocently.
"No one has ever said anything nice like that to me before..." Yoshino sheepishly said. "I always thought of myself as a burden to everyone. There are people like yesterday who want to hurt me, but I don't want to hurt them. All I'm good for is running away so no one can get hurt. I look up to Yoshinon so much, and I rely on her for everything. But when it's only me, I'm... I'm..."
It took a moment to officially register in Yoshino's mind, but Minato had patted her head. She was caught off guard but didn't appear to dislike the it.
Physical expressions of care weren't Minato's strong suit. The hug Tohka gave him last night was an example of that. They made him feel awkward.
But Yoshino thought so lowly of herself. Poor kid.
He made an exception this time. It seemed like she needed the gesture.
"You're not a burden. Far from it," Minato stated. "You just haven't met the right people that would accept you for who you are until now."
"Accept... me?" Yoshino was hesitant but sounded slightly hopeful. She looked at the other two individuals with her.
Tohka nodded firmly at Yoshino and smiled.
Shido stood up from his chair and walked over to Yoshino to squat down in front of her.
"Yoshino, I want to help you," he reassured confidently. "Wherever Yoshinon is, I guarantee you both will be together again. You can depend on me, because I'll be a hero for you."
Yoshino was visibly taken aback and blushed. Once again, Minato was amazed by how effortlessly Shido spoke such words with kind determination. It was no wonder Tohka fell for him. That genuine kindness was an attractive quality to have.
"Th-Thank you very much, Shido-san," Yoshino said.
"Of course," Shido replied. He extended his hand to Yoshino. "Now why don't we start looking for Yoshinon together?"
Yoshinon was luckily much closer than everyone might think. Minato had kept that tidbit to himself, waiting for the right moment to share.
Yoshino gazed at Shido's open palm momentarily. She was about to grasp it too if it weren't for the interruption of a doorbell ringing.
"Who could that be?" Shido wondered. "I'll be back real quick, Yoshino."
"Okay." Yoshino nodded. Shido straightened himself and went to greet whoever was at his front door.
With his smartphone, Minato took a few seconds to discreetly send a text message to Shido about Yoshinon's location. The end of Yoshino's route was almost in sight, and having her beloved puppet to give back would be the final act.
If only things actually went that well, because a moment later the pleasant air was disrupted once Shido blurted out a specific name.
"T-Tobii— I mean, Origami?"
Tohka instantly tensed as she got up from her seat. Minato remained seated with Yoshino, the latter not fully aware of the unexpected shift yet.
"I want to speak to Minato. Is he here?" Origami's voice audibly asked.
"He is. Let me— Hey, w-wait a minute!" Shido suddenly exclaimed.
The sounds of footsteps approaching followed, and then there Origami was. She was inside the house, and the calm expression that was originally on her face turned into shock when her eyes met Yoshino's.
"That's... the Hermit Spirit," Origami muttered, trying to process Yoshino's presence.
"I'm getting real sick of this girl interfering," Kotori complained through Minato and Shido's earpieces.
"You have the worst timing, witch," Tohka criticized.
Origami quickly narrowed her eyes and assumed a defensive stance. Tohka instinctively positioned herself between Origami and Yoshino.
Minato stood up and placed his arm in front of Yoshino. The Itsuka house was not ideal for a fight to break out, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
"Time out, TIME OUT!" Shido yelled, catching up to Origami. "Please do not fight in my house! Can't we try to talk to each other first?"
The tension had diffused a little, but one wrong move could easily alter that.
"I already told you, Shido." Origami turned her head towards the boy. "I have my orders to eliminate Spirits, despite what I might feel."
Bold of her to admit this in front of three Spirits. This was getting frustrating.
"Do you think more violence will solve everything?" Minato intervened. "You may believe what you're doing is right, but what you're actually doing is prolonging needless destruction."
"What are you implying, Minato?" Origami growled.
"I know I haven't been a part of all this for long, but look how things turned out for Tohka when Shido reached out to her. And from what I've heard, you keep making things difficult. I can tell there's more to this than you just following orders from the AST. You're hiding something, Tobiichi-san."
It was respectable to protect one's own species from possible threats, but Minato couldn't fully agree with the AST's methods. They were narrow-minded and didn't consider Spirits' personal feelings. Perhaps there was one Spirit or more out there that possessed malicious intents to harm others, but assuming all Spirits were like that would be a gross generalization.
And Minato could not tolerate such prejudice. It was nothing personal against Origami, but it was obvious their ideologies clashed.
Origami struggled to counter the statement imposed on her.
"I..."
"Hold on," Shido interjected. "Where is Yoshino?"
They all blinked.
The chair Yoshino had been sitting in was now empty.
"She vanished..." Origami observed.
"Oh, COME ON! We were so close too, Origami!" Kotori screeched.
Taking out her phone, Origami looked at the screen and furrowed her brow.
"I've been notified that all troops are being deployed," Origami announced. Her eyes were focused on Minato specifically. "Stay back if you know what's good for you. Get in my way out there, and I'll have no choice but to retaliate."
The white-haired AST member then made her exit after giving her warning.
"Origami!" Shido called out.
"Don't bother, Shido," Kotori ordered. "We have to go after Yoshino."
"Shido." Minato approached the boy. "I'll go on ahead and distract the AST. While I'm doing that, you have to find Yoshino and give her back Yoshinon."
"But we don't know where Yoshinon is," Shido retorted.
Minato smiled lightly at him.
"Check your phone before leaving. I sent you a message while you were answering the door."
Shido was perplexed but before he could say anything else, Minato ran out the door.
If he had to fight to protect, then so be it. Even if it would put him at odds with a friend.
The spacequake alarms had activated while Minato navigated through Tengu City on foot. Normal civilians should've already evacuated. He could've made things easier for himself by summoning a Persona and using his wings to fly, but that would also give away his own position to the AST. Revealing himself at the most opportune moment would cause them to be more hasty and unprepared.
He had climbed several stories of a tall building to get a better view of the sky for Yoshino or the AST. He was able to spot them clearly in the distance. Yoshino was using Zadkiel to run away, and the AST members were chasing after her with their weapons.
This would be the moment where he would use his Evoker to summon a Persona for assistance, but he found himself distracted by another presence.
"Why did you follow me, Tohka?"
The girl in question placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him.
"Because I want to help too!" Tohka declared. "Don't leave me behind while you and Shido are trying to save Yoshino!"
Minato relented. He couldn't fault her heart for being in the right place. But with her powers sealed, he wasn't sure if she could do a whole lot to be an asset in this situation.
He just hoped she would be careful.
Refocusing on the objective at hand, Minato took out his Evoker and aimed it at the side of his head.
"Ooh, now I can see you bring out one of your Personas!" Tohka remarked eagerly.
He appreciated her childlike interest.
The trigger had been pulled, and just like when he summoned Messiah yesterday his attire was replaced by his default Astral Suit and accompanied with white wings.
But today he didn't summon Messiah, and Tohka was quick to realize that.
This new Persona had a golden body that didn't seem to be made of flesh. The silver hair was hard to miss too. It wore a green robe with a red sash around its waist. Similar to Minato, it had wings but they were far more imposing. In contrast to the peaceful vibes Messiah gave, this one exuded sternness.
Tohka couldn't help but stare in awe.
"Wow... What's this one called, Minato?" Tohka asked her fellow Spirit.
He answered her.
"Sandalphon."
Tohka gawked at him.
"HUH!?"
Next: Chapter 6: Carpe Diem
Author's Note: I barely missed the mark of this story's 5th year anniversary, but this came out close enough. That's worth something, I think.
On that note, it really has been 5 long whole years since there was a proper chapter added. I didn't expect it to take this long for another update, but here we are. Sorry about that. Let's just say I had a lot of things going on outside of working on other stories. I was also closely following the Date A Live light novels to see where things were heading, and now I can finally get back to The Divine Spirit with the new material. I've got a few neat ideas already for Kurumi and Minato. And some of the visual novels like Rinne Utopia and Arusu Install will be released overseas by the time I'm posting this, so more to work with for me.
Some of you may have noticed that the previous chapters have been adjusted a few months back, and that's because I didn't particularly enjoy how I wrote them in the past. I blame my lack of experience, so I reworked them all to my current standards. This chapter may not exactly be what was anticipated after this wait, but I want to try and write at my own pace without worrying about the word count. Future chapters' lengths will also vary depending on what I believe is optimal, so there's you guys' heads-up.
Oh yeah, I changed my name again. I believe this will permanently stick.
Until next time, everyone. Have a good one.