Guiding Star
Written by Aiyumi
Disclaimer: Persona and all related characters are property of Atlus. Any trademarks that may be referenced in this fan fiction are properties of their respective owners. I am just a fan and do not have any relations to said people/companies.
Chapter 6: Food and Drinks
Minako went to the used books store, and was surprised to run into Chihiro there. "Oh, Chihiro-chan!"
Chihiro looked embarrassed as she lifted her head from the book she had been examining. "... A-Arisato-senpai! Good afternoon..."
Minako gave her a friendly smile in an attempt to put the girl more at ease. "You're a lot into reading, aren't you?" She had run into Chihiro a lot while doing her tasks in Library Committee at school.
"Yes..." Chihiro nodded shyly.
"What kind of books do you like?"
"Well, I like many kinds of books. I read research books, biographies, romance novels, almost anything, really. Um, but I... I really, really love manga." She seemed quite embarrassed to admit that.
"Really?" Minako had thought Chihiro was more into studies and serious stuff. "I don't read much manga, but I like anime."
"I like anime too!" Chihiro said excitedly. "The art style that is different from the manga version, the cool soundtracks and the voice acting that manga can't have... it's like seeing the same series from a whole new perspective!" She seemed like a totally different person as she blurted this out.
The mere mention of anime and manga was enough to scare Chihiro's shyness away. Her eyes sparkled as she talked about a few anime she had watched, and highlighted the differences between the anime and manga versions.
"Oh! What is this?!" Chihiro stopped talking to inspect a book that caught her eye. "Wow, I can't believe this! It's the limited edition of an illustration collection from the shoujo manga I like! I've been wanting to get it so much! Look, it even has short side stories inside! What is this gem doing in an used books store? Wait, they have all three volumes, too! Let's see how much each volume costs..." And her enthusiasm was gone. "6,000 yen each... which means, the three of them would amount to 18,000 yen..." She sighed. "my allowance is only 5,000 yen, not enough to buy even one volume..." She muttered to herself, then shook her head in determination. "No, I have to buy these no matter what! I'll hide them somewhere hard to see. Hopefully no one will have bought them by the time I have enough money..."
Minako was tempted to help pay for the books, but she could tell that Chihiro wanted to reach her objective through her own efforts. "Let's ask Bunkichi-san and Mitsuko-san to reserve the books for you!" She suggested instead.
Minako talked to Mitsuko and Bunkichi, and they were more than happy to reserve the books.
"Age makes us forget things easily, you see..." Bunkichi smiled good naturedly while Mitsuko wrapped the books in present paper. "But it won't get us, because I just have the perfect plan against it! We just need to write down a reminder to make sure we won't forget!"
Mitsuko brought a pen and wrote on the present paper, "Reserved to Chihiro-chan (Minako-chan's friend)." "Done!"
"Thanks, Bunkichi-san, Mitsuko-san," Minako said.
"Thank you so much!" Chihiro bowed to them.
"No problem," Mitsuko said gently.
"We'll be going home now." Minako prepared to leave.
"Then, Minako-chan, we want you to have this." Bunkichi showed her a neatly wrapped bread.
"We bought much more than enough, and can't eat all of these alone." Mitsuko added before Minako had time to refuse.
"Here." Bunkichi shoved one extra bread in Minako's direction. "Take this one too, for a friend."
"Okay, thanks." Minako accepted his offer and placed the two small bundles into her bag.
As soon as Minako took the bread, Bunkichi got two more bundles and extended them towards Chihiro.
"Um, th-thank you..." She also accepted the offer.
"You're welcome, Chiharu-chan."
"Dear, it's Chihiro-chan." Mitsuko corrected him.
Bunkichi cracked a grin. "I know, I know! I was just joking!"
They laughed. Even Chihiro was unable to suppress a chuckle.
"They're really nice." Chihiro commented once they were walking on the streets.
"Yeah, they are." Minako agreed.
Both girls kept talking about anime and manga on their way home, until they had to split ways.
"Um, thanks for today, Arisato-senpai. I'll see you at school."
And they went their separate ways.
Minako thought about the bread she had gotten. She recalled Bunkichi's words when he gave her the extra bundle. "Take this one too, for a friend." An idea struck her, and she smiled.
... ... ... ... ...
It was Tuesday, the day right after the full moon battle. Even though Minako was still tired because of said battle, Pharos saw that she sat on her bed and waited for him. He was very impatient. He couldn't wait to deliver her present, and wouldn't waste that opportunity. So, as soon as the Dark Hour came, he appeared in her room.
"Mi-na-ko, good eve-ning!" He greeted her cheerfully.
Minako giggled at his greeting. "You seem happy today," she observed.
"Of course I am!" He hopped on his feet as he spoke, and Minako was amused to see how Pharos acted fairly like a normal kid sometimes. At first, she had thought he had only been pretending to be a little kid just to get close to her, but the more they interacted, the more she got convinced that he was actually a little kid at heart. The clothes she gave him also helped give him a more "normal" appearance, and for a while she almost forgot he was a Shadow in disguise. "You've successfully overcome another ordeal." The keyword being "almost," because his odd choice of words and other small quirks had to remind her. "You won, and you came back!"
"I said everything would be fine, didn't I?" Minako gave him an assuring smile.
"Yeah, you did." Pharos nodded. He stopped hopping and looked at her anxiously. "Today, I have a surprise for you."
"Huh? A surprise?"
"Yeah. Close your eyes!"
Minako did as told. Nothing like that had happened in the previous timeline. She wondered what Pharos was up to.
Pharos did something, and Minako heard the sound of a heavy object being placed on the ground. "You may look now." He instructed.
When Minako opened her eyes, she saw a case on the ground in front of her. It was one of those cases she occasionally found in Tartarus, which usually contained money or pieces of equipment. Pharos was glancing expectantly between her and the case. Minako stood up from the bed, crouched near the case and slowly opened it. Inside were a couple flasks of Snuff Soul, 5,200 yen, three Medicines, two Patra Gems, a Dis-Charm, a Maragi Gem and a Traesto Gem.
"The suitcase only contained the money, but I thought it'd be handy to bring it along and put the other stuff in it," Pharos explained.
"Oh, good idea. Thanks!" Minako smiled gratefully.
"You're welcome! Since I saw you looking longingly at some of these items on the ground, I decided to retrieve them back the way we came!"
"You noticed?" Minako laughed in embarrassment.
"Uh-huh, of course!" He nodded proudly. "Since I can rarely look at you in person, I make the most of it whenever I have the chance, and pay as much attention as I can!"
Minako shivered involuntarily. His last statement sounded... awkward. His intense gaze on her confirmed what he said, and only served to increase her discomfort. It reminded her that Pharos could see everything she did, and had probably seen much more than he should have, like... whenever she was showering, and Minako began feeling very self-conscious.
"... What's wrong?" Pharos asked shyly, and his piercing gaze was replaced by a normal look of concern.
"Uh..." Of course he would have noticed her reaction... Well, at least he seemed innocent enough at the moment. "Uh, nothing." Minako shook her head. "... Anyway, thanks for the items. I'll make good use of them." She closed the case and placed it under the bedside table. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Minako went over to her bag and took a small bundle from it. "This is for you."
Pharos recognized the bundle. It was one of the bread rolls she got at the bookstore. He couldn't take it.
"It's a melon bread," Minako said. "You haven't eaten melon bread before, have you?"
"No, but-"
"I thought so." Minako interrupted him. "Since it might be a while until you can move outside the Dark Hour, I was thinking that maybe I could bring some food for you to taste. This is not much, but it's what I've got today."
Pharos hadn't expected to hear that. "Y-you think about me outside of the Dark Hour, too?"
"Huh? Why wouldn't I?"
He had thought she only remembered about him when he came to visit her, the only time they had to interact with each other. Minako was such a busy person and shouldn't have to waste more of her daily time thinking about him. "You always have so many things to do and many friends to think about, and I thought..." But come to think of it, she had bought his clothes outside of the Dark Hour, too... "never mind." Pharos shook his head. "I'm glad that you remember about me! But this bread..." As curious as Pharos had been to know how melon bread tasted like, it didn't feel right to take that particular one from her.
"Oh. The bread? Today after school, I dropped by the bookstore, and Bunkichi-san gave it to me." Minako explained.
"Y-yeah, I know. I saw when he gave it to you." Pharos shook his head. "It's yours, and this is why I can't have it."
"If you saw it, then you know that he actually gave me two, right? One for me, and one for a friend."
"Yeah, and you have a lot of friends you can give it to..." Pharos balked. "Wait..." Was she implying what he thought she was? "D-do you mean...?"
"Huh?"
Hope welled inside Pharos, but he was still fearful. That notion couldn't really be true, could it? Or was he only getting too ahead of himself? His question might sound stupid, and it would be very painful if he got a "no" to the face, but he decided to ask, "... Do you mean to say that... I'm your friend?"
Minako smiled at him. "Yeah, that's what I mean."
"... Huh? B-but... I didn't even ask you if I could become your friend yet!"
Minako let out a small laugh. "You don't need to do that."
"... I don't?"
"No. We usually don't ask this kind of thing. It just happens."
"Huh...?" Pharos was puzzled. He had been worrying so much about Minako not accepting him, yet she had just said they were already friends, as though it were the most obvious thing. It was hard to believe what he was hearing. It sounded like it was a dream... except, he didn't ever dream, so... it had to be true! "O-okay, if you say so... but when did it happen?"
"Honestly, I don't know. When I had realized it, it had already happened."
At least his question didn't seem that stupid, if even Minako had failed to realize when their friendship had started. What mattered, though, was that their friendship was real. It had indeed happened. Somewhere along the way, Pharos had managed to get what he had been wanting for so long. He was now Minako's friend. "I got a friend! My first friend...! Yes!" A warm feeling washed over him, and he began jumping happily. His heart was beating faster than normal as though it had a life of its own and wanted to jump out of his chest, but for some reason, that didn't feel bad at all. It was an interesting sensation, and Pharos felt glad to have remembered to include a heart in his materialized body. He stopped jumping and put his right hand on his chest. "I'm so happy! Even my heart is jumping in joy!" His action prompted Minako to laugh, and he wondered if he had said something weird again. "Why are you laughing? ... Did I say something strange?"
"No. It was so cute. The way you put your hand on your chest and said that..."
At least he hadn't said anything wrong, but for some reason, he felt a bit embarrassed. "Uh, um..." Pharos ran his hands through his hair, and tried to push the embarrassment aside.
Then, Pharos realized Minako had still been waiting for him to take the bundle from her hand, and finally accepted her offer. He carefully took the bundle and unwrapped it. Inside was a round bread with a layer of what seemed like cake... or maybe cookies... covering it. "Now, this bread means so much to me that it feels a waste to eat it..."
A chuckle escaped Minako's mouth. "No, it's the opposite. It'll be a waste if you don't eat it."
Pharos shuffled awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's food, and we shouldn't waste food." He tentatively took a bite of the bread. It tasted very good. It was soft and sweet, and the crunchy cake-like dough that covered the bread gave it an interesting touch. He liked it so much that he took another bite even before having swallowed the first one. "This is great!" He spoke with his mouth full, and caused crumbs to fly everywhere.
"Don't speak with your mouth full, Pharos-kun," Minako admonished him.
"Sorry..." He said without thinking, and realized too late that his mouth had still been full when he spoke. He looked at Minako sheepishly. Since she didn't react, Pharos decided to give up on trying to fix his mistake, and proceeded to eat in silence. He concentrated while he ate, intent on memorizing any and all details of the taste.
"Oh, by the way," Minako began suddenly. "This bread is another one of those weird cases where the food's name doesn't have much to do with what's inside. Even though it's called 'melon bread,' there's actually no melon in there."
"Hmm...!?" Pharos' head shot up in surprise, and he stopped munching on the bread. He directed a questioning look at Minako, careful to keep his mouth shut this time.
Minako looked at him amusedly. "Yeah. Weird, huh? Actually, it has this name because of it's appearance, not the ingredients. It kind of looks like a melon, doesn't it?"
Pharos took another bite of the bread. He chewed it while he processed the new information, then nodded in understanding.
Once he had finished eating, he crumpled the paper that had wrapped the bread before, and dumped it into the trash bin. Then, he turned to Minako with a proud smile on his face. "This was the right thing to do, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, good job!" She congratulated him.
Her congratulation made Pharos feel very full of himself. Good to know that he had done something right for once. He hopped happily towards Minako. "I've always wondered what melon bread tasted like. Now, I know, and also know that it's name's kind of misleading. The bread tastes very good, though. I'll make sure to always remember this taste. Thanks!"
"No problem." Minako retrieved a napkin from her bag and wiped crumbs from his face and his shirt. Only then, he realized that so many crumbs had fallen, but Minako didn't give him time to worry about that. "Anything else you want to try out? Tell me, and if it's something I can bring, I'll get it for you."
"Oh, really?" That idea sounded tempting. Pharos' mouth watered as he listed the possibilities. "There are so many things I'd like to try. Let's see... the other kinds of bread they sell at your school, the ramen from that ramen place, the burger from that burger place, the sweets from the sweet shop, the takoyaki, the cake and the snacks and the sandwich they sell at the place you work, the bento from the convenience store, and... ah, there are so many things..."
"Hmm. I think most of the things you listed should be fine. But some of them, like the ramen and the takoyaki, for example, are only sold during the day, and their taste changes after they've cooled off. They won't be too good by the time Dark Hour arrives. I don't think it'll be worth it."
"Oh." How disappointing. "Too bad... when you go eat ramen with your friend, it looks so good..."
"Yeah, it tastes great. Don't be sad, though. Once you're set free, we'll go eat there outside the Dark Hour, okay?"
Pharos nodded with enthusiasm. "Okay! I can't wait for this time to come!"
Minako yawned and covered her mouth, and reminded Pharos that she was still tired from the previous day's battle. He wanted to stay with her for a while longer, but decided against it. He had been able to give her a present like he had wanted, had tasted a melon bread, and most importantly, had learned that he and Minako were already friends. It was enough progress for today.
"You're still tired. I'll let you have your rest. Thanks for today. I'll come again." With that, Pharos walked to somewhere Minako couldn't see him in order to spare her from the sight of him vanishing, since she had said she disliked to see that.
... ... ... ... ...
The following night, Minako didn't wait for him. She came back from her part-time job, finished her homework, and collapsed on her bed. Dark Hour came, but she didn't wake up.
With nothing else to do, Pharos kept replaying their latest interaction in his mind. He was very happy that Minako had accepted him as her friend, and that she seemed to have liked the items he had given her. So, he wanted to get her more. But for that, he would need to go to the big tower. Despite being able to come out during the Dark Hour, he didn't have enough power to stay too far away from his prison. So, he would need to wait for Minako to go to Tartarus if he wanted to appear there. For now, all he could do was inspect a few more of the objects in Minako's room.
... ... ... ... ...
On June 13th, Fuuka had joined SEES and moved in to the dorm, and it was decided that from that day on, Fuuka would act as their support while Mitsuru would join the front lines. That night, Minako and her friends finally went to Tartarus. It was Pharos' chance. While the group was busy fighting Shadows, Pharos quickly left his prison in a non-physical form and traveled to one of the higher floors.
To his frustration, the dungeon's layout was being uncooperative that day, and it took much more time than expected for him to finally find something. A measly 600 yen. More than twenty minutes wandering inside the tower, and this was the first item that he found. Minako deserved better than that! ... But the Dark Hour was coming to an end, and Pharos needed to go back.
Minako formed a team with Yukari, Junpei and Mitsuru. They trained a bit, then returned to the entrance to take a break. They took the elevator to the 40th floor and were about to resume training.
"Ah! Wait!" Fuuka gasped, and everyone froze in their tracks.
"What happened, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked.
"Huh...?" Fuuka sounded confused. "Strange. I thought I had sensed something on the floor you're on, but..."
"Something like what?! A presence?! On this floor!" Yukari looked around frantically. "You don't mean to say this floor is messed up, do you? I thought these elevator floors didn't have this problem!"
"Scared, huh, Yuka-tan?"
"Shut up, Stupei!"
"Stop calling me that!"
"Uh, you two, can you be quiet, please?" Fuuka said. "I'm trying to scan the floor. I need to concentrate."
Yukari and Junpei stopped bickering, and a few tense seconds followed. Minako was a bit on edge as well, but said nothing.
Fuuka finally spoke. "Everyone, I've scanned your current floor and three more above it, and didn't find anything unusual." Then she muttered to herself. "How strange... I'm sure I had detected something for a split second..."
"Maybe we should call it a day." Minako suggested after noticing Yukari was still scared.
"Yes, I believe we have trained enough for today." Mitsuru agreed.
"Y-yeah, let's go home and avoid any more problems." Yukari looked like she wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.
"Aha! You're really scared!" Junpei mocked her.
"Shut up, Stupei!"
... ... ... ... ...
It was June 14th afternoon. Fuuka had said she had a surprise for everyone and called them to the lounge.
"Since I still couldn't properly thank you all for having helped me, I decided to make these!" Fuuka brought a huge tray from the kitchen and set it on the dining room table. She removed the plastic that covered it, and revealed the tray to be full of chocolate cupcakes.
"Hey, they look delicious!" Junpei's eyes shone and he nearly drooled. "Let's eat!" He quickly snatched a cupcake from the tray and took a huge bite of it.
A chill went down Minako's spine. "Ah! J-Junpei!" She cried in shock, but it was too late. She was horrified. The cupcakes looked normal, but... well, it was Fuuka's cooking. Who knew what might happen.
"This is great!" Junpei's observation took Minako by surprise.
Fuuka released her breath. "Good to hear. I was a bit worried it wouldn't turn out okay."
But it was still early to relax. Junpei might be exaggerating, like he had done that time with the instant noodles "spaghetti." Minako's eyes nervously wandered between the cupcakes. "Uh... may I have one?"
"O-of course!" Fuuka encouraged her.
Minako tentatively took one of the cupcakes and brought it to her mouth. To her relief, she soon found out that Junpei hadn't been exaggerating at all. The cupcake was good, and Fuuka's experience from the previous timeline definitely showed. Come to think of it, even though none of the SEES members had mentioned spring mornings yet, some of their subconscious actions, either during battle or day to day activities, proved that they still retained some of their previous experiences.
"This is really good, Fuuka-chan!" Minako complimented.
"I'm glad that you like it." Fuuka smiled shyly. "I admit. I don't fare too well in the kitchen. Actually, I rarely try to cook, and when I do, it usually doesn't turn out very good... but I really wanted to prepare something nice to you all, and I gave my best! I made sure to follow the recipe as closely as possible. I'm glad that it paid off!"
"Very modest, aren't ya?" Junpei grinned. "You said your food usually doesn't turn out very good, but I can't believe it. I doubt it could be that bad."
And Minako concluded Junpei would be better off not knowing...
... ... ... ... ...
But it was undeniable that Fuuka had done a very good job with those cupcakes. Minako didn't want to waste that opportunity, and made sure to grab one and bring it to her room.
She waited for Pharos during that Dark Hour, and when he came, she gave the cupcake to him.
"Oh, you got one for me!" Pharos' mouth watered. "I saw when you and your friends were eating. It looked so good... but is it okay for me to have it?"
"Huh, why wouldn't it be?"
"I mean, didn't she say that she made these to thank you all for having helped rescue her in the tower?"
"Oh. Yeah, Fuuka-chan had said that. She might not know it, but you helped, too, remember?"
"Yeah, I guess... then, thanks."
Pharos began to eat. The cupcake tasted as good as he had expected. He wished he could talk to Fuuka and compliment her cooking. At least he could thank Minako. She was always giving him things, and he wanted to give her something in return. Sadly, the only thing he had gotten from his latest exploration were 600 yen. What could he do with 600 yen? He thought about what to do while he enjoyed his cupcake. Then, he had an idea. Hopefully, Minako would like it. Once he had finished eating, he looked at her. "Minako, I want to go outside."
Minako was confused. At first, Pharos' statement out of the blue didn't make much sense. The look on his face was serious. It was the same kind of look he gave her whenever he talked about full moons and big Shadows, and for a moment, Minako had no idea what he had meant, because full moons were the first things that came to her mind. "... Outside?" She repeated.
"Outside your room," he clarified. "There's something I want to check out. Is it okay?"
He wanted to leave her room. Minako didn't like the implications. So much could go wrong if anyone from SEES saw him, and much worse if they found out he had a connection to her. "No, better not..."
"I don't intend to be away for long," Pharos insisted, with his tone neutral and his gaze unwavering.
Minako was sure that he could very well just vanish from her room and appear outside if he so wanted, but was asking for her permission just to be polite. The fact that he was considerate enough to ask for her permission meant that she still had a chance to reason with him, and that was what she would do. "No. What if someone finds you?"
"Everyone's sleeping," he said nonchalantly.
"They might wake up." She argued.
"If I feel that someone's coming, I'll hide." He insisted. "That day in the tower, none of those creatures spotted us even once. I guided you out of harm's way just fine, didn't I?" He seemed very proud of his abilities."
"It isn't only a matter of being spotted this time. Remember, now Fuuka-chan is here too. On the day of the full moon, when you walked with me inside Tartarus, she hadn't awakened fully to her power yet. But now, she has. She might sense your presence."
"Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that!" However, to Minako's frustration, he still didn't give up. "If I feel she's noticed me, I'll leave as fast as I can. I doubt she'll be quick enough to catch me. So, pleaaaaase! Just for a bit..." In a fraction of a second, his fierce, defiant look morphed into an innocent, pleading one.
His expression change might have been just an act to convince her, and Minako kept telling herself not to give in... but that pleading look definitely disarmed her. That moment, Pharos looked like an inoffensive little child asking for candy, and Minako was finding it hard to say "no" to him. In the end, she sighed and gave in. Pharos seemed so excited about checking out whatever it was he wanted to see, and Minako felt bad about having him wait until he became Ryoji to finally be able to see things for himself. If it was something they had access to right now, then she felt he had the right to see it now. Having him out and about by himself didn't sound like a good idea, though. Who knew what he might do... "Alright, listen." She looked at him as sternly as she could manage. "I'll allow it this time, but on one condition."
"Hm." Pharos inched his head forward and listened intently.
"I'll come with you. If anyone appears, you'll have to hide quickly, and I'll give some excuse to whoever it is. I'll try to cover for you this time, but I don't want to take this kind of risk ever again. Got it?"
"Yeah, got it!" Pharos nodded and blurted out, cheerful all of a sudden, and Minako saw a lot of imaginary music notes above his head. He seemed unbothered by her stern look, and it was hard to tell whether he had really thought her condition through.
"Then, let's go." Minako took her room's key she had left on the bedside table and walked towards the door.
Pharos moved closer to her. "Since you can't see much in the dark, I'll lead the way."
"Okay. But what is it that is so interesting outside, exactly?"
Pharos chuckled. "You see," He said mysteriously, and that usual creepy grin appeared on his face.
He had refused to reveal what he wanted to do, and that grin caused Minako to wonder what Pharos was up to. Oh no. What have I gotten myself into? Minako thought, already starting to regret her decision of helping him. But she had made her mind, and wouldn't back out now.
Once they were outside the room and Minako had closed the door behind them, Pharos gently took her hand and began walking in front of her. Minako tried to be as quiet as possible. She took slow and small steps, as though she were stepping on eggs. Suddenly, Pharos startled her by abruptly pulling her hand with more strength than was necessary. Minako was dragged a few feet forward until she stumbled and nearly lost her balance. She desperately covered her mouth with her free hand to suppress a yelp.
Pharos whispered to her. "Sorry, but can you walk faster? I can't wait to get there..." Since Minako didn't move, he added, "Is the darkness the problem? Don't worry. I'll make sure you won't bump into anything."
"That's not it..." Minako whispered back, but gave up on explaining. It was not the time for chatting. She sighed. "Okay, go on." Minako could only hope whatever Pharos wanted to see wasn't too far away.
During their walk, many things rushed in Minako's mind at once. She tried to think up the excuses to give in case they were found out. If Pharos managed to hide quickly enough, Minako could simply say that she was up during the Dark Hour because she couldn't sleep. But if he didn't manage to hide quickly enough and Fuuka alerted the others that she felt an unusual presence in the dorm... worse, if Fuuka managed to identify him as a powerful Shadow and somehow link his presence to Minako, no one could tell what might happen. But it was only a "what if," and Minako decided she would think about it if, and only if the need arose.
It was supposed to have been a very short walk, but to Minako, it seemed to have lasted an eternity. When they stopped walking, they found themselves right in front of one of the third floor's vending machines. Pharos let go of her hand and turned around to look at her. He gave a gentle tap on her left shoulder. Since it looked like he wanted to say something, Minako lowered her head to his level.
He whispered to her, "It's here."
Was that it? Pharos had wanted to check out the vending machine...?
Pharos kept whispering, "We have to put coins in it, right?"
"Yeah, but..." Minako whispered back. "It won't work."
Pharos chuckled. "Surprise. It so happens that I have everything planned. I have some coins I found in the tower yesterday," He said proudly, and began inspecting the machine.
"This is not what I-" She tried to say something, but he wasn't paying attention to her anymore.
Pharos hoped the money he had was enough. On closer inspection, each drink was 120 yen. He had 600. Perfect. He had everything covered! ... Or so he had thought. He chose to buy a can of Cielo Mist, took 120 yen from his pants' pocket, and inserted the coins into the vending machine. He waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened. "Why...?"
"Dark Hour," Minako whispered.
"Oh..." The situation finally sank in. So this was why Minako had said it wouldn't work. He had only been thinking about the fact that he needed to insert coins into the machine. He had completely forgotten that electronics didn't work during the Dark Hour. Pharos lowered his head and placed a hand on his forehead in frustration.
"Pharos-kun, let's head back," Minako whispered gently, but he didn't move. "Pharos-kun..." She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"... But I've come this far..." Pharos muttered to himself. He took a deep breath and shook his head with determination. "No, I can't give up here." He slowly reached for the vending machine. He held on to the machine with his two hands and began shaking it. He tried to be as gentle as he could so as not to make much noise, but the noise still stood out because the environment was quiet. Pharos was unsure whether it was loud enough to wake anyone up, but it was definitely enough to startle Minako.
"Ah!" Minako tried to suppress a gasp. "Pharos-kun, what are you doing?!" She whispered urgently. "This way you'll wake the others up...!" She tried to pry him from the machine to no avail.
At last, the rewarding sound of cans falling reached their ears. Pharos let go of the machine and retrieved his purchase. To his pleasant surprise, not one, but two cans of Cielo Mist had tumbled out of the machine. Pharos chuckled to himself. He grinned triumphantly and whispered to Minako, "Look, we got two drinks!"
However, Minako didn't share his excitement. She didn't look too happy about his achievement. In fact, she looked scared, in the verge of panicking. She tugged at his sleeve and whispered urgently in his hear, "Pharos-kun, i-it's enough. Let's go back to my room."
"Hmm." Pharos was a bit disappointed by Minako's reaction. He had thought she would be happy that he had managed to make the machine work, and that he had been lucky and gotten two drinks instead of one. But she didn't look pleased in the slightest, which probably meant that he had done something wrong. He had to make up to her somehow. His gaze fell from Minako's panicked face to the two cans in his hands. Was she angry because he hadn't paid for one of the cans? It made sense, and on further thought, not paying for one of the drinks didn't feel right, and he felt it would be in his best interest to fix that. "No, wait."
"What is it now?" She whispered nervously.
"I'll pay for the second one." Pharos took one of the cans in his left arm in order to free one hand. With his right hand free, he reached into his pocket, pulled out 120 more yen, and inserted the coins into the vending machine. "Done. Let's head back." Pharos whispered to Minako, took her hand, turned around and led the way back to her room.
Minako was scared. To her, that little escapade had been as scary as trying to sneak past red-glowing Shadows in Tartarus. When Pharos began shaking the machine and making noise, her heart began pounding uncontrollably fast and loud, and she had the impression that if the shaking of the vending machine didn't wake anyone up, her heartbeats would. As they stealthily made their way back to her room, Minako didn't want to so much as breathe. She could only count the steps toward her room, and hope that no one had woken up because of the noise earlier.
Once they had entered her room, Minako locked the door and Pharos released her hand. Minako made her way to the bed. She threw herself to a sitting position on the bed, and only then, she let out the breath she had been holding for so long. It came out as a heavy sigh, and she buried her face in her hands. "Ah. Nothing happened. Thank goodness...!"
"Minako... a-are you okay?" Pharos asked timidly.
She raised her head and answered him. "I'm fine. Just a bit scared."
Pharos stood in the middle of her room, back to holding one can in each hand. He shuffled uncomfortably, and his gaze kept wandering between Minako's face and the cans on his hands. His eyes finally stopped on Minako, but his gaze lacked the usual intensity. Instead, it reflected the insecurity he displayed whenever they talked about subjects other than Shadows and full moons.
"Um..." He tried to break the awkward tension. "I did the right thing by paying for the second can, didn't I? I mean, even though the second can popped out by mistake, I think taking it without paying for it would be unfair to the people running those machines. After all, they need the money to maintain the machines and keep them stocked up on drinks for everyone, right?"
His warm words made Minako smile. "You did good, Pharos-kun. Very few people would think about the staff managing the machines. Most would only think about taking advantage of the fact that the machine let out one extra drink."
Pharos chuckled, seemingly proud after hearing her praise. "Well, I had intended to buy two drinks anyway!" He extended one of the cans towards her. "Because I wanted to give you one!"
That action completely threw Minako off guard. Initially, she had thought Pharos had just been curious about some common object from the dorm. She hadn't expected his object of interest to be something that didn't work during the Dark Hour, and that he would try to make it work by force. Thankfully, nothing bad happened in that crazy trip through the dorm's third floor, and Pharos got what he wanted. But in actuality, what he had really wanted all along had been to get something for her. It was totally unexpected, and definitely washed away all her discomfort about that crazy adventure. His act of kindness deeply touched her. Her mouth opened, but failed to produce words.
"I'd been wanting to try this drink for a while. I figured it'd taste better if we enjoyed it together... but if you don't want it..." Pharos seemed disappointed.
Only then, Minako realized Pharos was still holding the can in front of her and waiting for her to take it. "O-of course I want it!" She managed to say at last and took the can from his hand. "I had no idea that you had been wanting to get something for me. It was a nice surprise. Thank you, Pharos-kun." She patted the spot next to her and beckoned him to sit down.
"You're welcome!" Relieved, Pharos gladly accepted her invitation and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed.
"Do you need help?" Minako saw that Pharos seemed to be having trouble to open the can.
Pharos shook his head, and Minako decided she would let him try to do it by himself. She proceeded to pop her can open, and Pharos stopped what he was doing to observe her. When Minako's can opened, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Huh?" Pharos looked at her questioningly.
"I'm glad to know that Cielo Mist doesn't turn into anything during the Dark Hour." Minako explained.
"Hmm." Pharos hummed as he mimicked Minako and resumed his attempt to open the can. "A lot of things transform during the Dark Hour, don't they? Water turns red, people turn into boxes, and your school turns into that big tower. I wonder why that is. Why did it have to be your school? It seems to be such a nice place during the day. Why does it have to turn into something so dangerous at night?"
"Good question," Minako said before taking a sip of her drink.
At last, Pharos' can opened with a nice popping sound, and diverted their focus from the talk about Tartarus and the Dark Hour. A triumphant smile appeared on Pharos' face.
They sipped their drinks in silence until Pharos tried to take a much larger sip, turned the can too much, and spilled the drink. Minako hurried to retrieve a napkin from her bag again. She made a mental note to get more napkin later. If bringing food and drinks for Pharos became an habit, which it apparently would, then she would seriously need to stock up on napkin. She wiped the liquid from his face. Minako saw that he seemed a bit embarrassed about his mess-up, and patted his head to reassure him that it was fine. This seemed to have put him more at ease, and he continued to sip his drink much more carefully. Minako couldn't help but smile at the sight. This was one of those times she thought Pharos could pass for a normal child. This pure, curious and naive side he had begun to show more recently was a stark contrast to the creepy and mysterious side she had known him for in the other timeline. Instead of the mysterious gaze from the times he talked in riddles to warn her about dangers, his eyes became full of wonder at the sight of something new. Whenever they weren't talking about ordeals and strange powers, he seemed totally clueless, and got embarrassed easily.
Once they had finished their drinks, they stood up and threw the empty cans into the trash bin.
"Did you like it?" Minako asked him.
"Uh-huh." Pharos nodded. "Buying them was really worth it! I felt good when I paid for the other drink, too, because it was my first time buying something. I learned how good it feels to have enough money to buy something for someone, and I can't help but wonder... it's too sad to think that so many people commit so many atrocities because of money..."
Minako nodded in understanding. "I see what you mean. I agree. It's really sad." The fact that such a comment had come from a Shadow was quite commendable. But then, Minako remembered something.
"I have some coins I found in the tower yesterday." Pharos had said near the vending machine. Then it registered in Minako's mind. The presence Fuuka sensed briefly the previous day... it could only have been him!
It was dangerous to have Pharos wandering off like that. To tell the truth, even his visits to Minako's room had some risk, since Fuuka was also in the dorm, on the same floor no less. On normal days, at least Fuuka was sleeping and didn't have her Persona activated. In their Tartarus explorations, though, it was a whole different story. Fuuka had her Persona out at all times and focused specifically on locating unusual presences. Pharos coming out in Tartarus was the equivalent of asking to be caught, and Minako didn't want to face the implications of SEES finding out that she carried a powerful Arcana Shadow inside her, and worse, that she was aware of it. Unless her friends remembered the other timeline and their plans for this one, Minako would rather keep a low profile.
"Pharos-kun, you said you got the money in Tartarus. I know you mean well, but I'm going to ask you not to come out in Tartarus again. Fuuka-chan almost caught you yesterday. If her abilities get stronger, she might detect you if you keep wandering off."
Pharos didn't like to hear that request. "But I can only move during the Dark Hour, and the big tower is the only place where I can get things for you. I want to give you more presents, because this is what friends do, right? You're always giving me things. I want to be able to return your gestures..."
"Pharos-kun, I appreciate that you want to do something for me, but you don't need to give me anything. I like when you visit me and keep me company. To me, it's more than enough."
Pharos was bothered that he had to keep avoiding Minako's friends. If only he had a way to meet them and end that problem... "Why are you that scared of your friends? They seem so nice."
"They are. I wouldn't want to get on their bad side, though."
Pharos refused to give up. "Maybe we could talk it through..."
"If they catch you, how can we explain your presence to them?" Minako argued.
Pharos hesitated, but had to admit, "I don't know. I don't remember anything about myself, about who I am, and why I'm here... so, I can't explain it, either. But I don't like to have to hide from them. I'm actually curious to meet them too. What do you think might happen if they find out about me?"
"I don't know. They might do nothing. Or, they might not trust you, and also stop trusting me because I've been hiding from them that I've been interacting with you. They might even kick me out of SEES and out of the dorm. A lot of things can happen. I don't know which one of these are most likely, and I don't want to find out."
Pharos didn't want to lose his only means of getting presents for Minako, but he had to agree that those scenarios didn't sound good.
Minako spoke again. "Once you're free from the Dark Hour and we are able to explain your situation better, you can meet my friends. But for now, you need to be patient and avoid taking unnecessary risks, alright?"
Pharos didn't like to wait, but waiting was apparently the best option. Once he was freed from the Dark Hour, he would be able to explore the outside world and do everything he ever wanted, including buying presents for Minako. Yes, that was what he would have to do. "... Okay." Pharos slowly nodded. "I won't wander off anymore. I'll wait until I'm free from the Dark Hour. Then I want to become friends with your friends,, and go to all those places you visit."
The tension broke as Minako smiled, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Yeah, I'll show you around, like I promised."
Pharos beamed. "And I'll get a part-time job to earn some money. Then I'll buy you a lot of presents, and you'll have to accept them!"
Minako laughed amusedly. "Okay, okay. Just don't spend all your money, or you won't have enough to buy things you really need."
Pharos nodded vigorously, satisfied with Minako's answer. He remained silent for a while as he wondered what he could give her. But then, Pharos realized he was running out of time for today.
"The Dark Hour will end soon. I have to go." Pharos took a few steps toward Minako. "You know? Today when I asked you if I could leave your room, I had been hoping you'd say you'd come with me. And you actually did, and I was so happy... I know you didn't like our little adventure much, but I had a lot of fun today. Thanks, Minako."
"It's okay. Just don't make me go through something like that again."
"Yeah, I know. I didn't forget your condition. It was just for this time. Besides, we just agreed we won't take this kind of risk again, didn't we?"
So, he had really paid attention to her condition after all... "Good." Minako nodded in approval.
Pharos looked at her expectantly for a few seconds, but in the end, he averted his gaze and spoke. "Okay, I'll leave now. Good night."
"Good night, Pharos-kun."
Pharos walked out of Minako's sight, and she felt his presence disappear from the room. Then, she heard a shattering glass sound, and the Death Social Link ranked up to level 3.
A/n: did you expect Pharos would run into the other SEES members? Sorry, not this time. But I'm considering the idea of having him interact with the others at some point.
Speaking of not wanting to get on the SEES members' bad side, in my playthrough of The answer, when I was forced to fight everyone for the keys, I thought Akihiko was really scary o_O . On the other hand, Junpei was the most level-headed one during that mess, and served as the voice of reason in the group! It goes to show how much he matured during the journey. Props to Junpei! :D
And going a bit off-topic, I've been very excited about Persona 5 lately. I think the Phantom Thieves stole my heart :3 . We still have so little info about the setting, but I'm so excited that I've already written a fanfic for it! It's called "Midnight Rumors" (s/11991696). It's currently an oneshot, but I'm considering to write a sequel. I'm still unsure if I should make it another oneshot or if I should turn "Midnight Rumors" into a multi-chapter fic (and possibly change the title as a consequence). Suggestions are welcome!
Okay, enough of P5. Back to Persona 3. Next chapter will have, among other things, the next full moon... and consequently, a scene in "that place" :P .