Chapter 38

Suspicion; Scar

June 20, 2021; Thursday

Kyuto High; Hallways

(After School)

"And that's the last of 'em!", Mr. Seijimura said as he wiped his hands on his overalls.

Kazuhiko heaved the last trash can's contents into the garbage disposal and set the can down onto the cart.

"You really do like to spend time with Shura, don't you?", Tyr asked Kazuhiko.

"Well, he's a nice old man. By the way, why are you calling him Shura?"

Tyr shrugged.

"I'm not used to using last names like you are; It's more natural to use first names for me."

"Well then, how are you holdin' up, son?"

Kazuhiko turned and answered him.

"I'm doing pretty well. Summer Vacation comes next month, so I'm kind of excited."

Mr. Seijimura nodded with a smile on his face.

"I wouldn't be surprised; After finals are over, everyone wants to get out of their stuffy classroom. 'Course, I'd give anything to see their faces when the results come back."

Kazuhiko thought of Johei and Iselin's faces when they were to receive their grades and chuckled at the thought.

"Speaking of summer, what will you be doing during the vacation?", Kazuhiko asked.

Mr. Seijimura's smile slowly darkened and he looked at the ground.

"Well, I'll be staying at home. Not really much to do for my job at that time, I guess. Then, there's other matters I must attend to… "

He paused for a moment and let out a heavy sigh. After a few moments, he wiped his nose with his sleeve and turned to Kaz with a smiling face.

"Well, I think that's enough for today! I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully."

Shura turned around and made his way to the janitors' office, leaving Kazuhiko with a few moments to think.

"What was that feeling just now… "

"Something's definitely bothering him, but what is it?", Kazuhiko thought to himself

"I'm never gonna find out anything if I don't speak up."

Mr. Seijimura stopped as he heard Kaz call out to him.

"Mr. Seijimura… you've been there to help me many times; Please, if there's anything that you need help with, then please don't hesitate to talk to me, sir!"

After a few moments passed, Mr. Seijimura smiled and nodded.

"Right, of course I will."

As Mr. Seijimura continued walking, Kaz felt something click in his mind.

Rank Up! The Hermit Arcana: Level 4!

?

Niflheim; Floor 60

Yuriko's POV

Yuriko sat in the middle of the room, hugging her legs. Every now and then, she would look up, but she always met the gaze of her doppelganger. The clone smiled right back at her stretched a little bit.

"Come on! Talk to me! It's not everyday you get to have a one-on-one with yourself!"

Yuriko tiredly hid her face in her knees again.

"Come on! Pweeease?"

Yuriko sighed and looked up again.

"Alright then, you can start by telling me why I'm here."

Clone Yuriko laid back down on the ground rested her head with her hands.

"I think you already know that. With what's going on here, the answer seems pretty obvious."

"So the suicide cases, huh? I'll bet that asshole Soratsu wanted to get revenge. What a piece of shit."

"Now now, is that how you talk about your friends?", Clone Yuriko asked her.

Yuriko's glare turned into a sad smile.

"I guess you're right; I can't pin the blame on him. It's my fault that she's gone, and my fault alone."

Yuriko laid on her back and looked at the ceiling, or the darkness where there should have been one.

"Maybe I do deserve this… to be trapped here for eternity and eventually die by my own undoing… "

"Come on! That doesn't sound like you!"

Clone Yuriko looked down at her while she stood above her.

"The real you would be all, 'I've got to live for her sake! I can't die now!'"

Yuriko looked back to her annoying clone and shook her head.

"Yeah, go ahead and think that."

The clone sighed and crossed her arms.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone."

She started to walk off, but she paused and spoke again.

"Just remember, I'll always come when you call me."

Clone Yuriko walked out of the room and left Yuriko by herself. She went back to sitting down in the middle and hugged her knees once again.

"Huh, that's probably what I would have said... "

Around the same time…

(After School)

Mirror Dimension; Niflheim: Floor 58

"Quick! Everyone inside!", Kaz yelled as he held the door to the safe room wide open.

The rest of the group ran as quickly as they could to the room, stopping only to launch a few attacks to their pursuer. Daichi stopped and yanked on his chains until the links broke and dissipated.

"Garudyne!"

Hugin and Munin flapped their wings and enveloped their attacker with a tornado, but it quickly shrugged off the attack and aimed one of its revolvers at Daichi.

*BANG*

"AUGH! Son of a bitch!"

The bullet hit Daichi in the arm and he knelt on his knee, holding his wounded arm.

"Daichi!"

"Master!"

Quickly, Johei took out the last of their smoke bombs and aimed it at the shadow's head.

"Take this, you ugly rat's ass!"

The smoke bomb bounced off the shadow's face and blew up, causing a large enough distraction for Kaz to pick up Daichi and rush him into saferoom.

"Alright, that's everyone", Kaz said as he set Daichi into a seat near the table.

"What in God's name was that?!", Johei asked Yoichi.

"I only picked up one reading from that thing: The Reaper", Mimir answered, clearly shaken from the encounter.

"Never mind that", Iselin interrupted

"How come nothing worked on that thing? And how will we be able to get to the higher floors with that abomination running around? We don't have enough time to rescue Ikebukoro-san!"

Yoichi suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

"What is it? Is it trying to come in here?", Kaz nervously asked as he readied his sword.

"No, actually, it just disappeared."

"What?"

Yoichi did another thorough search again and shook his head.

"If God really does exist, he's got a twisted sense of humor. It's not within 10 floors above or below us as far as I can tell."

Everyone let out a deep breath of relief and turned to the more pressing matter at hand.

"Daichi?", Mikan asked,

"Daichi, are you alright? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Huh… f-four", he replied.

They all looked at his arm. By now, he had bled a pool of blood; The worst part was the wound.

"I don't see a place where the bullet left your arm. Can you move it a little bit?"

"O-okay. *wince* Ah! Shit on a stick!"

Daichi had tried to move his right arm a little, but he was already in immense pain. Mikan cursed under her breath.

"I can see the bullet, but it's lodged in pretty tight. To make matters worse, it's ball ammo, and it's shattered his bone."

The situation looked grim; Mikan had to lay Daichi down on the table to get a better look at the wound.

"Can't we get him to the hospital?", Iselin asked

"We can't do this, better to leave it to the pros, right?"

Loki scoffed.

"And tell them what? Our friend accidentally got shot in the arm by the Death the Goddamn Reaper?"

Tyr shook his head.

"For now, we need to get that bullet out of his arm; Then we can get him to a doctor without raising any suspicion."

Mikan had taken a clean arrow from her quiver and used it as a makeshift scalpel. After cutting open the wound, she opened it up.

"I need some help here. Someone grab some tweezers and get the bullet out."

Everyone looked at each other.

"Hey, don't look at me! I'm not good with my hands… er, that came out wrong", Yoichi said.

"M-me neither… I'm not good with blood", Iselin squeeked.

Johei looked at Kaz until he noticed.

"What?"

"You remember how good you were with that crane game in the mall?", Johei asked.

Kazuhiko sighed and took up the pair of tweezers and joined Mikan at her side.

"Skadi, be ready to use Dia at any time."

"Got it."

Mikan scooted to the side enough for Kazuhiko to reach into the wound.

"Alright, Daichi, grit your teeth", he said.

Daichi nodded and closed his eyes.

"Here goes nothing… "

*yank*

"Hrgh!"

"AUGH!"

"It hurts!"

"Oh yeah, right", Kaz said as he made a mental note that Persona and users feel the same pain.

"Skadi, now!", Mikan said as she tugged at her links.

"Dia!"

Skadi pressed her hands on the wound and some light flashed from it.

"I've stopped the bleeding; He's not in any immediate danger, but we need to get him to Doctor Stiles soon; Only the Healing Touch can save him now", Skadi said.

Everyone stared at Skadi with a strange look.

"Where did that come from?"

Skadi looked away while touching her index fingers together.

"Um, well, I got really into this TV drama called Trauma Center. I watch it after you go to sleep sometimes."

"That's besides the point", Kazuhiko interrupted

"Let's get him to the hospital."

Later…

"Finally got some free time", Nanako said as she stretched.

After finishing her regular duties, Nanako decided to go around the mall like a normal teenager, only this time, she wasn't here to spy on Kaz and his group. She walked into a store and checked around for any good deals.

"Wow, this stuff is pretty good quality, although the prices are another story."

Suddenly, something caught her attention: A big sign that was colored pink and had a girl in detective garb on it.

"N… no way… "

Quickly, Nanako looked around and took some of the items in her shopping bag.

"Excuse me, I'd like to make a purchase on these items", she said to the clerk.

The cashier looked at the items curiously.

"Th-they're for my little cousin; Her birthday is coming soon", she explained

Later…

"Nothing wrong here, just got out of a store where I had to pick up a lot of stuff", Nanako thought to herself.

She could already feel a bunch of stares from passersby at the giant bag she was holding. So what that she was holding a bunch of merchandise? It's for someone else, not her!

"Holy shit! Daichi, what happened to you?" a voice said from behind her.

She turned around and saw Kaz and his friends pick up a red-haired boy who was bleeding. Momentarily forgetting what she was doing, and rushed over.

"Kaz? What happened here?"

"Nanako! I, uh, just found Daichi here", he quickly said.

Skeptical about his response, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? I just found a teen who looks pretty injured. Can someone please send an ambulance to the shopping center?"

June 22, 2021; Saturday

Kyuto High; Classroom 2-B

(Afterschool)

"So, can you move it all that well?"

Daichi shook his head.

"I need to wait for the bones to heal or else they'll break again and I'll get another round of surgery."

Kazuhiko sighed.

"Then you're not gonna be able to fight. Just when we're close to Yuriko-san, too."

"Truly a shame to lose a strong fighter in the midst of the battle"

Daichi looked down to the ground.

"I am truly sorry"

"No apologies needed, Captain Falcon", Iselin said.

Daichi glared at Iselin, but quickly came back to the subject.

"The doctor person said he won't be able to heal until summer vacation starts", Hugin told everyone.

"He also said not to overexert himself", Munin followed up.

"He also said he needs to reevaluate his lifestyle"

"He also said he should get out more often"

"He also said to get a girlfrie-"

"Okay! I think that's enough!", Daichi stopped them.

"Then let's meet tomorrow. Make sure to pack some tools, Johei."

Johei nodded.

"Will do."

Loki followed Johei out of the classroom, rubbing his hands together.

"Ooh, I can't wait to get started. Say, can I try making something?"

"Does it involve me getting hurt and/or pranked?"

"... spoilsport."

Kazuhiko began to pack his bag until he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around to find Nanako smiling up at him.

"Hey, bestie! I finally got some free time so want to go hang out?"

"Oh, sure!"

He put away his belongings and followed Nanako.

"So, any suggestions?", she asked.

"Well, you want to go to this town's Aiya's?"

Later…

"Welcome to Shigure's! Please, have a seat!"

The two took a table and sat down as they looked over the menu. Nanako scanned her surroundings and felt a nostalgic feel to the place.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, it really does feel like Aiya's; All that's missing is the manager yelling out Aiyaaaa all the time."

"Shigureeeeeee! We have a number five and twelve at table seven."

"And there it is."

After ordering, the two had some time for themselves to talk.

"I hope you've settled down; It sure took you quite a while to unpack"

Nanako chuckled.

"Well, my dad was on a little break, but once he started working, I was the only one left to do the chores. I don't mind, though, it's something I like doing."

Their food had arrived and they both started to dig in. Halfway through her omelette and rice, Nanako sparked the conversation again.

"So, how's your friend doing? Amasawa-san?"

Alarms started to go off in Kazuhiko's mind, telling him to play things safely.

"Well, he's doing okay. He'll have a cast on until summer break, but he's doing fine."

Nanako nodded with content.

"Still, I wonder how he got injured; Nuzoko is usually a safe place."

"It might have been the Yakuza; You remember Soratsu, right?"

Damn, can't press him any further on that, Nanako thought.

"I mostly lived in Inaba for the majority of my life so I'm used to having nothing to do, but the city life must have your hands covered, huh?"

"Well, there certainly is a lot to do, although you can't beat the countryside; so quiet and peaceful."

They continued to talk and eat until it was the evening time. Then, they decided to part ways.

"Thanks for showing me around; We should hang out more often!", Nanako said to him.

He waved goodbye and made his way to the hotel.

Nanako Dojima POV

"Darn, that was the best lead I had", Nanako scolded herself.

The main reason for hanging out with Kaz was to get information and try to read the situation, but it all turned to naught; there was no way she could get him to spill something at this rate.

Seeing no further reason to scold herself, she settled for a disappointed sigh.

"I bet Amada-san would have been able to get the info… "

"Stop beating yourself; there's nothing you could have done", a voice told her.

"*sigh* just let me have this, please."

She could sense the presence shaking her head.

"You won't accomplish anything that way; What's done is done. Now, let's go back home."

"Alright Toyotama. Still, though, why can't I see you?"

"That's classified."

Iselin and Daichi POV

School Dorms

"You can't be serious", Iselin told Daichi.

"I'm a part of this team, I need to be present. Besides, I can do more than just fight; I'll be the moral support."

"That's what Yoichi is for!"

Hildr stepped in to change the subject.

"The doctor told you to take it easy, didn't he?"

Daichi shrugged.

"Didn't he?"

"Yes", Daichi replied in a low voice.

"And what would happen if you got injured again? You'll just weigh us down"

"I know… "

Daichi sighed and glared at his right arm.

"It's just, if only I didn't get hit-"

"Don't worry, happens all the time to everybody. Remember when Johei got zapped by Kaz that one time?"

"He wasn't really injured"

"Or when Loki got hammered into the wall?"

"Persona heal quickly"

"Or that time Iselin got hit by a Psionga?"

Daichi shivered.

Flashback

"Daaaaichiiii!"

*FWOOSH*

"Why is she only targeting me?!"

Suddenly, Iselin got behind Daichi and wrapped him in a hug around the waist.

"Urk!"

Mikan finished off the last shadow with a well placed arrow.

"Um, shouldn't she be back to normal now?", Johei asked.

Iselin continued to spin around with Daichi in a bear hug.

"I've got a sedative; want me to heal her?"

"Daichi is finally mine forever!"

Iselin then fell on the ground and began snuggling Daichi while still keeping an iron grip on him.

"HELP ME!"

"On second thought, this is kind of cute."

Flashback End

"WhatWhatwasIhitwithIdon'trememberbeingconfuseddoyouIdon'tknowwhatyou'retalkingabout"

Iselin blushed as red as a tomato until Hildr placed her hand on her shoulder.

"For now, just rest. You'll have other chances to get some training in."

Daichi shook his head.

"No way! Even if I'm not gonna fight, I'll be there!"

"That's right!", Hugin said.

"Nothing will stop Master Daichi!", Munin crowed.

"Then you leave us no choice", Iselin said with a sadistic smile.

"Thank y- wait what?"

"Hugin! Munin! The doctor said that the Mirror Dimension atmosphere will kill him in his current state!"

The crows flew into the room.

"Master Daichi! You must not step in there!"

"Forgive us, but we will not let you pass!"

"Wh- hey!"

The crows pinned Daichi down on the bed as he struggled to sit up.

"Dammit! I'll get you for this!"

"Not likely!", Iselin said as she left his room.

June 23, 2021; Sunday

Mirror Dimension; Niflheim: Floor 60

(Afternoon)

"Real shame Daichi couldn't come", Johei said as he came to the top of the staircase.

"The doctors wanted another look at the wound, something about making sure it was clean", Hildr said.

Loki nodded.

"Well, at least he'll stay out of trouble", Kaz said.

"That doesn't sound like him though; He probably would have skipped the exam just to be here"

Iselin started to sweat.

"Yeah… but I talked him into it"

"Hold up, I'll be right back", Loki told Johei.

Loki started to float next to Iselin and Hildr.

"Um, yes?"

"Nice lie; I'll keep it a secret if you tell me what really happened."

"Loki! We're here!"

"Save it for later"

Iselin let out a deep breath of anxiety before joining the front of the group.

"This is definitely going to be tougher than the last fights we've been in; are you guys ready?", Kazuhiko asked everyone.

"Yeah, count me in", Johei said as he gave him a thumbs-up.

"Same here, Oh captain my captain."

"That's why we're here"

"There's not gonna be a fight."

"Ah!"

Yoichi jumped when a girl had appeared right next to him.

"Ikebukoro-san?"

The girl shook her head.

"Actually, I'm her reflection. The one you know won't fight, she's not in any danger."

Everyone seemed skeptical.

"What, you don't believe me? Go ahead and open the doors!"

Kazuhiko stepped towards the door and slowly opened it to peek inside. Yuriko was just sitting on a set of stairs, looking at the ground. Nothing seemed amiss.

"Well, here goes nothing."

Kaz opened the door and stepped inside. Yuriko noticed him and waved.

"Hey! I haven't thanked you guys from that other time!"

Mikan looked around and set her bow down.

"Weird, there's nothing here. Not even a normal shadow."

"Yeah, it's been empty for as long as I remember", Yuriko told them.

"Speaking of which, how long have I been in here?"

"Almost three weeks; you're deadline was a lot longer than usual", Tyr answered her.

Yuriko's eyes popped out of her skull.

"Wow, I haven't seen you before. Uh, what is he?"

"No time to explain; let's just focus on getting you out of here, then we'll talk", Mimir said as he did a quick scan.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible"

Everyone jumped at the sound and turned around to face two familiar hooded figures.

"I believe there is no reason for introduction, so let's cut to the chase, shall we?", Kokatsu said as he snapped his fingers.

Almost immediately, Kokatsu's eyes (from underneath his hood) started to glow a dark red and the entire team and their Persona felt a heavy force fall on their shoulders. As they fell to the ground, Kokatsu continued speaking.

"You're probably wondering why this girl hasn't been taken over by a shadow yet. Well, the simplest answer I can give you is that she doesn't want to die."

Kazuhiko propped himself with his sword and tried to stand upright.

"What… are you talking about?"

Kokatsu sighed.

"Looks like we'll be giving the longer explanation then."

He cleared his throat and continued.

"Persona and Shadows are two sides of the same coin. One represents hope, and the other, despair. A more despair ridden person attracts the attention of Shadows, but one who clings onto hope has the potential to wield a Persona. Simply speaking, Ms. Yuriko here has not succumbed to despair yet. That is why she is not dead."

"Then what about the request?", Mikan asked.

"Yeah! There's always been an attempted suicide because of your website!", Johei protested.

He tried to prop himself up with his spear, but slipped and fell onto the ground.

"Indeed, there are some slight misconceptions", Kokatsu admitted

"However, the request site just brings their reflection into focus; kind of like placing a target for shadows to concentrate on. There was a case that one had not succumbed to despair, so we had to, ah, intervene. I'm sure you all are aware of that, yes?"

"So then", Iselin said as she pushed herself off the ground,

"Rika could still be alive right now if you hadn't put a bullet in her reflection's skull!"

"That's right"

Junn appeared out of the shadows and began sharpening his knife.

"We've said enough for you to understand the situation, so there's no need to keep you all alive."

Junn brandished his knife and walked towards the group.

"Since I'm a gentleman, I'll let you all pick which one of you dies first. Just don't take too long or else I'll decide myself."

Tyr struggled to stand and defend the group, but he could barely keep himself upright.

"Don't… worry. I… will p-protect you all!"

Junn sighed and kicked Kaz in the stomach. Kaz could hear a faint crunch and cried out in pain; Tyr, due to being linked to Kaz, let out a stifled grunt.

"Nobody going to stand up? Alright, I'll just go ahead and cut off the head of the snake."

He grabbed Kaz by the hair and pulled him up until he was kneeling. Next, he stepped behind the Wildcard and placed his knife at the jugular. Kaz could feel the touch of the cold steel blade against his neck. Any moment now, that blade would paint the tiled ground crimson with his blood. He tried to struggle, but any action was futile against Kokatsu's ability.

"I'm… I'm sorry guys… You made me leader… and I failed you all."

He closed his eyes and waited for Death to harvest his soul.

"... "

For some reason, nothing happened. Kaz opened his eyes and saw a person with red hair in the distance. Could it be Daichi? Suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Let's do this, you two!"

"Eiga!"

"Kouga!"

A black and white crow appeared and attacked Kokatsu who swiftly dodged the attack. However, the diversion was good enough. Kaz felt the weight fall off his shoulders and took hold of Junn's arm. In one swift movement, he threw Junn onto the ground and disarmed him, tossing the knife to Iselin.

"Catch!", he told her, and she grabbed the knife out of midair.

Everyone had gotten back up from the ground and recovered from their shock, ready to fight. Johei already readied himself to go on the offensive.

"Hit him while he's down!"

"Mirage Slash!"

Loki disappeared in a cloud of smoke only to appear above Junn. The Harbinger quickly rolled out of the way, but Loki was able to catch a part of his arm before he escaped.

"Tch, missed him."

The group came back together in order to revise a strategy.

"Really? Hit him while he's down? You're not gonna get a girlfriend with that sense of chivalry", Loki said to his user.

"Can it! We've got more problems to deal with. Well? Any ideas?"

Kaz scanned around the room for Daichi until his eyes fell on a mass of red.

"Don't stay cooped together! He'll get you all!", Daichi yelled to them.

Kokatsu, who had been recovering from the dodge he made started to open his eyes, which were to glow ominously.

"Scatter!", Kaz quickly ordered.

The group dispersed, but Mikan was caught in the immobilizing gaze mid-draw. She suddenly fell down on her knees and let the arrow fly. Junn had looked seriously pissed ever since Kaz had disarmed him.

"Oh I'll turn you into ground beef!"

He put on a pair of armored gloves and sent a powerful uppercut to Mikan's chin.

*POW*

Dangstaboy: Batman!

Mikan flew into the air for a good second before landing on the ground.

"If he sees you with that ability, you won't be able to move!", Daichi said from the sidelines.

"I've had about enough of your crap, bird brain", Junn said as he suddenly appeared in front of Daichi.

Daichi, having broken his primary arm, couldn't hold his rapier properly and, as a result, couldn't defend himself. With a swift punch, Junn sent him crashing into the wall, but his assault didn't stop there. He mercilessly beat Daichi again and again until there was a clear imprint of his body on the wall.

*THUD*

Daichi finally fell onto the ground, presumably unconscious, or worse. The crows had also fallen victim and couldn't pick themselves up.

"Master Daichi! Please get up!"

"Don't die on us now! Don't go to the light!"

"You two are still here; he's probably alive!", Hildr yelled at them.

Junn then made his way to Iselin.

"I'll have my knife back now", he told her.

Iselin dashed towards him with both his and her knife at the ready. Junn readied into a boxer stance. As he pulled back for a haymaker, Iselin suddenly slid down and went through his legs, slashing at them.

"Ugh!"

Then, she propped one of her hands on the ground and executed a sweeping kick, sending the soldier onto the ground.

"Hildr!"

"Agidyne!"

"Red Wall!"

Before the fire came into contact with Junn, Kokatsu quickly used a skill to defend his partner. However, the damage that was done was still a considerable amount.

"That's for beating up Daichi", she told him as she moved on to Kokatsu.

She shattered her chains and Hildr aimed her hands at her user.

"Sukukaja!"

"HaaaaaAAAAAA!"

She leaped into the air while the two knives were poised to strike.

"You… idiot… ", Daichi said from the pile of rubble he was in.

Kokatsu merely opened his eyes and Iselin felt herself be pulled down to the ground.

"You BITCH!"

Junn had recovered and stood up over her. His right leg had been bleeding for quite some time and it seemed like it was unlikely to stop. Later, Iselin would realise that it was crippled.

*THUMP*

"HACK!"

Junn kicked her in the ribs with his army boots, cracking some of her ribcage. He then picked up his knife from the ground and held it above her.

"Die!"

"Now!"

Kaz had been watching the fight unfold, waiting for the right moment when the two were close together. He threw one of Johei's flash bombs at them, which blew up immediately.

"Garu!", Loki yelled as he summoned a gust of wind in his hand.

Johei stood in Loki's hand and was flung towards Iselin. In a split second, he caught hold of Iselin while dropping an open bottle of water.

"Go, Mika-senpai!", he said to one corner.

Mikan had recovered from her previous injury and drew her bow, aiming it at the ground where the two villains stood.

Skadi conjured a Bufula spell and shaped it into an arrow on Mikan's bow as she let go of the string.

*SHING*

By the time that the effect of the flash bomb had worn off, the water had frozen their feet solid to the ground. Kazuhiko had taken the chance to change to one of his newer Persona that he had fused just for this purpose.

"Alright, everybody. Take cover!"

A Persona in a knight's armor and a king's crown had suddenly appeared.

"Mind Charge", it cried out as it started to shine.

Junn struggled against his bonds of ice.

"You think this can hold me?! Think again!"

He took a red gem out of his pocket and threw it on the ice. The ice instantly melted and he and Kokatsu wrenched their feet free with a few minor burns.

"Crap! He's free!", Johei cried out.

"Can you freeze them again?", Iselin tiredly asked.

Mikan shook her head.

"No; I don't have enough energy!"

The two Harbingers made a dash for Kaz, ready to strike him down. Kazuhiko, who was immobilized for the Mind Charge stood there with anxiety. The enemies were 20 meters away from him.

15 meters…

10 meters…

5…

*SHING*

Suddenly, a blue light encased both of them and stopped them in their tracks.

"What?! What the shit is happening now?!", Junn said.

"I … I can't move!", Kokatsu exclaimed while Junn was cussing away.

Finally, the Mind Charge was finished.

"Alright, Arthur! Now! Megidola!"

"FOR CAMELOOOT!"

At point-blank range, there was no missing this shot. A bright light flashed from the tip of Arthur's sword and was unleashed within a 50 meter diameter. Everyone looked away for fear of blinding themselves; only when the light had faded, did they dare to look up.

"*pant* *pant*"

Kaz was on the ground, laying on his back; his sword next to him. Kokatsu and Junn were in a heap on the floor, clearly spent.

"Hey, guys! Could you give me a hand?"

The gang quickly helped him sit up and used a bunch of their medical supplies. Once Kaz was able to stand by himself, he told them what happened.

"For some reason, they just froze in place. You guys have anything to do with that?"

Mikan shook her head.

"I was too tired to use Bufu again."

"I… know… ", a voice called out.

Daichi was still laying on the ground where Junn had finished beating him. Quickly, everyone helped him up. This time, Mikan healed him due to there being more severe damage that some antibiotic and gauze would fix.

"So that was you, then?", Johei asked.

"How come you didn't tell us sooner? What other Jesus powers have you got inside you, huh?!"

Daichi shook his head.

"It wasn't me."

He tilted his head towards another figure in the room that nobody had noticed before.

"Come on here; introduce yourself."

The man was wearing a dark green T-shirt and baggy cargo pants. At his waist, he had an army jacket tied around his figure. His red hair had a similar color to Daichi's only it was brighter, but the most eye-catching of his features was the large scar on his face.

"'Sup, fellas! The name's Sho; Sho Minazuki!"

Aaaaaaaaand we are back! Please! Please don't kill me! I know I was late! Very late! Just please don't hurt me! If you guys couldn't take the hint, I am very sorry for the holdup; School is just around the corner for me so I had a lot of stuff to do. That and I was lugged around for two weeks in July for a trip; Let's just say I didn't have internet there. Anyways, I decided I needed to fill up the cameo for Persona 4 Arena; I have been waiting so long for a chance to introduce Sho. Fun Fact: Aside from Yosuke, Sho and Minazuki are my favorite characters to use in P4AU. Now, introducing new members of the community: hyunkel1234! Staffthebest! DarkFenrir215! Nadira Paramita! And Averroes93!

Give these people a big round of applause! I'm very sorry to say that I won't be able to follow up as often as I promised now that school is almost here for me, so don't get your hopes up. Yes, I am a sorry excuse for a fanfiction writer, I know. As for your reviews, why don't we add a little something, hm? Just post how your day was and I'll be fine with it. Either way, let's get to the mini story. By the way, the new character's name and design is acredited to Adtauthor and RosyMiranto18. You guys are a really big help!

Kazumi Sukima; Tales of "Normal" High School Girl

"*yawn* Good morning, Tyr", Kaz said.

"Um, Kazuhiko-", Tyr started.

"Alright! Another morning! Let's get going!"

"Kazuhiko, this is very importa-"

"Oh, I have enough time for a shower! Sweet!"

"You're a girl!"

Kazuhiko stopped and turned to the mirror. A girl with light green hair, about shoulder length, stared back at him. She looked like the person who would laugh a lot, but didn't because of something that happened before. But that was beside the point.

"Wh… WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

Later…

"Are you sure none of the teachers noticed?", Johei asked.

Kaz nodded.

"Yeah, they called me Kazumi or something like that."

"And we're not affected. Weird", Daichi pondered.

Kaz sighed and hid his face in his hands.

"I really hate this; I can already tell Johei is going to grill me about this later."

"You bet your ass I am"

"Don't feel bad", Mikan said, trying to cheer him up

"I mean, you actually look pretty cute."

Kaz suddenly brought his head up, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

"W-what?!"

Iselin nodded.

"She's right. I'd do anything to have a bod like yours."

Kaz continued to blush even harder and went back to covering his face.

"Guys, please stop."

"Huh, now that you mention it, you do look pretty cute", Johei admitted.

His eyes wandered around "Kazumi" until he could hear him clear his throat.

"Hey man, not cool. Eyes up here!"

Johei sighed.

"Sorry, but looks are really deceiving, y' know? Hell, I don't know how to stop thinking."

"It's a trap!", Loki suddenly said to him.

"Aaand now I've got the image in my head. Is there a way I can erase it from my memory?"

Meanwhile…

Nanako POV

"Why do I suddenly feel like I like her?!"

"Perhaps this was your true nature?"

"Shut up, Toyotama!"

Sorry for the mistake earlier, guys.