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 8: Support
It was Saturday, July 11th. Mitsuru had called a special meeting that day. In the Evening, everyone assembled in the dorm in the meeting room. They sat quietly, with apprehension written on their faces.
"Today, I would like to address-" Ikutsuki began, but was promptly interrupted. Yukari seemed about to say something, but Mitsuru made a hand gesture and cut him off first. "... Kirijo-kun?"
"Before anything else, allow me to speak, please." Her tone was grave, and created a heavy atmosphere in the room.
"Of course." The chairman complied.
However, as soon as Mitsuru looked at the others, something strange happened. Her composure broke. Her usual aura of authority vanished, and she looked very insecure all of a sudden. She took a few deep breaths and opened her mouth to speak, but fear reflected in her eyes, and she closed her mouth again before any word had a chance to come out. She looked scared, as though the words she was about to say would turn into a bomb and explode. The apprehension of the other SEES members increased. They had never imagined they would ever see the ever so calm and collected Mitsuru Kirijo in such a state.
"S-Senpai?" Minako was getting worried. In the other timeline, Yukari had been the one to speak. She had confronted Mitsuru and accused her of lying to them by hiding the story about the Dark Hour's origins. It looked like Yukari was ready to do the same until a few seconds ago, but Mitsuru had interrupted Ikutsuki, and Yukari seemed to have given up on her confrontation for the moment. Did something change? What was about to happen? Minako didn't know what to expect.
"It was never my intention to hide this issue," Mitsuru said. "This is important. Everyone present here has the right to know. I had deemed it to be irrelevant for the time being, however, the more the days go by, the more I am sure that I must clear this issue as soon as possible."
"Clear... what...?" Yukari asked, with a serious expression.
"Mitsuru...?!" Akihiko looked at her uncertainly. "You're going to talk about... are you sure?"
Mitsuru nodded to him, then turned her attention back to everyone. "This is about the Shadows, Tartarus and the Dark Hour. I feel that I should tell you everything I know."
Realization about the importance of that meeting dawned upon everyone. They kept their mouths shut and gazed unblinkingly at Mitsuru. She still seemed uncharacteristically nervous. Minako flashed a small smile and nodded in encouragement.
After another deep breath, Mitsuru began her story. "To put it simply, the Kirijo Group from the past generation did terrible things, and their actions' consequences have been causing serious problems ever since. All dates back to fourteen years ago, when my grandfather, Kouetsu Kirijo, was in charge. During his research, he found out about Shadows, and how they have mysterious powers said to be even capable of influencing time and space. He became obsessed with power. He wanted to harness these mysterious powers, and began gathering a lot of Shadows."
"Say what!?" Junpei exclaimed. "You mean he gathered Shadows... kind of like people collect insects to show off...?"
"It is an odd comparison, but it indeed might have been the way he thought of them. Mere 'insects' for his collection, mere 'objects' to fulfill his selfish desires..." Mitsuru said angrily, and made it clear that she didn't like any of it. She sighed and went back to the story. "My father never agreed to any of it, but unfortunately he wasn't powerful enough to do anything to stop my grandfather's plans. My grandfather hid a lot of documents, and even today, my father and I don't know exactly what he was trying to achieve. He hired many scientists and made them conduct experiments on the Shadows. And the experiments had been conducted at... the Gekkoukan High School from ten years ago."
"Our school...!" Fuuka gasped. "You mean..."
"So, Shadows were really involved..." Yukari said. "I looked a bit into the stuff from ten years ago, and found out that a lot of the students fell unconscious and were absent from school for days, just like what happened to those girls that bullied Fuuka. It means that the Shadows were preying on the students!"
"Yes." Mitsuru nodded. "Even though I don't know the reasons, from what I understand, the Kirijo Group wanted to conduct the experiments in a place with a high number of people, and Port Island, the place where the school is located, seemed ideal for that. To summarize what happened after that, something went very wrong with the experiments. The Shadows proved to be too much for them to handle. It didn't take long until the situation ultimately got out of hand. The Shadows split, escaped the laboratory, and destroyed everything nearby. This was the cause of the huge explosion ten years ago, and what created Tartarus and the Dark Hour."
"The explosion from ten years ago..." Yukari repeated. "It was when my father..."
Mitsuru nodded, and Fuuka's eyes widened.
"So, the Kirijo Group created the Dark Hour and Tartarus...?" Junpei said in disbelief. "What for?"
"I don't know," Mitsuru said. "All I know is that, as I already mentioned, the Kirijo Group claimed Shadows to be capable of influencing time and space. Sure enough, they managed to 'squeeze' an extra 25th hour into the day, in which the atmosphere gets warped. That proves Shadows indeed have said ability, although I still don't know what the group was trying to achieve with that. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to undo the damage caused by my grandfather's atrocious project. All we can do now is fight the Shadows. Only Persona users are able to defeat them. This is the reason the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad exists, and the reason I fight. At first, I had been blinded by the thought that it was solely my responsibility to help my father atone for the group's past wrongdoings. But as days passed and us SEES members continued to help each other fight the Shadows together, I realized that, in fact, this whole issue does not concern only my father and me. Since all of you got involved, this issue concerns all of you as well. It concerns all of us. I apologize for not having told you sooner. Like I already said, this is an important matter, and everyone involved has the right to know."
"And this leads to what I had been meaning to talk about." Ikutsuki, who had been silent since Mitsuru's interruption, joined the conversation. "Even though there is no way to undo the damage, fortunately, there is a way to put an end to all of this."
Only Minako was able to catch the irony in his words, and had to make a tremendous effort to suppress a disgusted face. Everyone else turned their attention to him, with hope in their eyes.
Ikutsuki didn't seem to have paid any mind to her. "Those powerful Shadows that caused the explosion were the ones that began it all. I believe we have the strength necessary to defeat them now. We can do it as long as we know where they are. And the good news is, now we are absolutely sure where to find them!"
"The full moon Arcana Shadows..." Mitsuru uttered in a low voice.
"Exactly!" Ikutsuki seemed very pleased at the way the group had been following his desired line of thought. "They're definitely the ones appearing during the full moon. Do you see what I'm getting at?"
"The full moon Shadows began it all... then, if we defeat all of them, maybe Tartarus and the Dark Hour will disappear..." Akihiko was the first one to voice the conclusion in almost every SEES member's head.
"Yes!" Ikutsuki said enthusiastically. "It makes perfect sense, and is very likely to be the case. Also, they are appearing in the exact order as the Arcana that categorize Shadows. There are twelve Shadow Arcana categories, and we have already passed through six of them. Only halfway to go. Isn't it great news?"
"To put an end to Tartarus and the Dark Hour..." Yukari muttered to herself.
"We can do it. We will do it!" Akihiko balled his fists in determination.
Resolve settled on everyone else's faces. Minako had to think about her second chance plans' goals to force determination onto her face as well.
A few minutes later, the meeting had ended.
"... Uh, I'm glad you decided to open up to us, senpai." Yukari awkwardly spoke once Ikutsuki had left the dorm.
"Yeah. Senpai, thanks for trusting us. You have our trust too," Minako said assuringly.
"Thank you." Mitsuru's expression visibly relaxed. She seemed deeply relieved after hearing both girls' words. Her gaze was distant for a few seconds. "Once, my father said I should put more trust in others, and this is what I believe I should do. As he usually says, 'two in harmony surpasses one in perfection.'" She smiled and nodded at herself in satisfaction. "Well, it's getting late. We should get some sleep. I believe I will be able to finally sleep properly tonight. Everyone, thank you, and good night."
Everyone muttered good night to each other. Mitsuru left, followed by Fuuka, Akihiko and Junpei. Only Yukari and Minako remained in the meeting room.
"Ah, I feel so horrible..." Yukari commented. "It's been a while since I'd been suspecting Kirijo-senpai had known more than she let on. I even asked Fuuka to help me look the incident up. When Kirijo-senpai told us we'd have a special meeting, I decided to confront her. If she had taken one more second to start her speech, I'd have exploded. But in the end, she had been hiding the details from us because it was a member of her family that did it, she felt responsible, and thought she should carry all the burden by herself. The Kirijo name must feel really heavy on her shoulders. I almost accused her of hiding the details and trying to deceive us! I feel so stupid..." Yukari lowered her head in shame.
"Misunderstandings happen. No one can know what others are thinking." Minako tried to comfort Yukari. "I trust her. And I trust you too, Yukari-chan."
"Thanks." Yukari's expression relaxed. "For trusting me, and for having listened to what I had to say. I trust you too, Minako-chan." She stood up. "Well, now I'll try to get some sleep. Good night, Leader." More at ease, Yukari excused herself from the 4th floor.
It was a tense meeting. But all in all, Minako was glad about that development. It proved that, despite not remembering much, the SEES members subconsciously retained a bit of trust among themselves. Hopefully they would reach the maturity they had in the other timeline without the need to go through the whole emotional roller coaster all over again. Minako still wondered who would mention spring mornings first, though.
... ... ... ... ...
That day had been rough, even to Pharos. First, he had gotten Minako in trouble at school because he had mixed up her textbooks last night. She had been lucky that the teacher let her borrow her friend's textbook this time - and even more lucky that said friend had actually remembered to bring the book to school -, but it could have been much worse. Then, that night, Minako's group talked about the full moon Shadows, and the incident from ten years ago which led to the creation of the big tower and the Dark Hour. Since Pharos was sure his freedom was tied to the full moon Shadows, he suspected he had been involved in that incident somehow. Who was he? What did he have to do with all of that? He wanted to know what had happened to him in the past, but he had a very bad feeling about it. It was as though, deep down, he had already known it was something he wouldn't like to remember. Honestly, he wasn't in the mood to think about it right now.
So, back to the textbooks. Pharos badly wanted to apologize. He waited for the Dark Hour to be able to talk to Minako. She had the special lamp on, and was sitting on her bed and waiting for him, but she didn't seem to be in a very good mood. She had probably been suspecting him already, and must have been waiting for him just to scold him. Pharos gathered up the courage to talk to Minako, and appeared in her room.
Minako was tired. From the moment she was told they would have a special meeting, she had been preparing emotionally for Yukari's outburst that night. Thankfully, it never came. The meeting went a bit better than the previous timeline's version. Everyone seemed to have taken the revelation better this time around.
Even so, the day hadn't been any less tiring. It started with her English textbook not coming with her to class. Thankfully, it had turned out Junpei had brought his textbook, and had helped her in class for once. Everything worked out in the end. She studied a bit during the afternoon, then there was SEES' special meeting at night, and Minako had nearly forgotten the textbooks mix up issue. Nearly. She remembered about it just when she had been preparing to go to bed. In the end, she decided to wait for Pharos and address it.
Minako was sure Pharos had something to do with her textbook's misplacement. In fact, not only her English textbook. Come to think of it, she remembered that some objects in her room were often displaced. At first, Minako thought her memory had been playing tricks on her, that she had changed the objects' placement but forgotten she had. Before she went to bed, they were in one spot, but had somehow moved when she checked in the morning. The objects had usually moved a bit or turned to face a different direction. Since it was nothing major, Minako didn't pay much mind to the issue. Yet, the placement of her belongings was different from what she remembered, and something didn't feel right. Now, it clicked. Pharos had been coming to her room on the days she didn't wait for him, and he had been taking her things without permission. She needed to talk to him about it before he caused more problems like the one during class today.
Minako sat on her bed and, as usual, closed her eyes to avoid being startled when he arrived. What should she say to him? Pharos got upset very easily, and any wrong move might even cause his Social Link to reverse. She thought about how she would bring the subject up, but when he came, he was actually the one who approached it first.
"M-Minako?"
She opened her eyes upon hearing his voice.
"Um..." He refused to meet her gaze. "Uh, yesterday, I... I wanted to check something on your textbooks, and I couldn't wait and..."
"So, it was really you." Her tone wasn't accusing, but it was clear that she had been suspecting him.
"Uh, y-yeah... I took all the books from the bag and the ones from the shelf, then I forgot which ones had been where. I'm sorry..."
"You should have asked me."
"I didn't want to wake you up..." Pharos said shyly and stared at the ground.
"Pharos-kun, you shouldn't take other people's things without asking for permission."
Minako's scolding was gentle, but hit him hard nonetheless. Why? Because last night wasn't the first time he had taken her things without asking for permission. He had been checking the objects in her room once in a while. It was his only distraction during the Dark Hours Minako didn't wait for him and he had nothing to do.
"Was it that wrong?" Pharos was horrified. "I didn't know... I thought it'd be okay if I managed to put the books back where they had been before, b-but the Dark Hour was ending and I forgot where I had found them and..." Pharos sighed, and gave up on trying to justify himself. "Ah... I messed up badly this time, didn't I? I got you in trouble, too... I... ... I'm sorry!" He bowed to her.
"It's fine, but next time you want something, be sure to ask me, okay?"
It seemed like Minako was willing to forgive him this time. Pharos wondered whether he should confess about the other items he had checked. Minako only talked about the textbooks and hadn't mentioned the other items . If he told her, maybe she would give up on forgiving him. If she hadn't suspected he had fiddled with more of her things, he would probably be fine. So, he decided he wouldn't say anything about the other objects. As long as he managed not to mess up again, it would be alright. The question was, how could he accomplish that?
Pharos nodded slowly. "O-okay, I'll be more careful. I don't want to get you in trouble again... but there are a lot of things... a lot of rules I still don't know. So, um, what can I do so that I don't mess up again?"
"Um... well, Probably not much." Minako had to admit. "You're new to all of this. When we don't have experience with something, we're bound to mess up. It happens. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and try to avoid making them again."
"... B-but..." Pharos looked very insecure.
Yes, he would mess up again. Minako was sure of it. But at the moment, she was the only person he could interact with, the only one who could teach him things. When she awoke back on the train heading to Iwatodai on April 6th in this second timeline, she had only been thinking about guiding him towards stopping the Fall. However, things unexpectedly changed during their interactions, and Minako found herself doing things she had never imagined, like buying him new clothes and different food to try out, and even having him read her textbooks. Even though Minako was still unsure about what she could do to convince him to stop the Fall, and those activities might have nothing to do with it, Minako wanted to help him, because it was nice to see him happy. She still felt guilty about not having noticed his presence during those ten years, and she wanted him to have more moments of joy. Dealing with him would be hard, and would require a lot of patience, but Minako was willing to do it. Yes, this was what she would do.
With her resolve settled, she said, "If you mess up, I'll correct you again, and we'll continue on. If you're willing to learn and avoid repeating previous mistakes, which I'm sure you are, then it'll be fine."
Pharos nodded slowly again. He raised his head and finally faced Minako. His insecurity was still there, though. "... A-are you still upset?"
"Huh?" Minako blinked. "What do you mean? I'm not upset."
"... Y-you aren't?"
"No. Do I look this out of it?" Minako shook her head and tried to look calmer. She gave a tired sigh. "Pharos-kun, I'm not upset at you. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I'm just a bit tired. You know, Kirijo-senpai's talk a while ago."
"Hm..." Pharos' expression darkened, and he suddenly looked distressed. "Yeah, I see... that talk was somewhat unsettling. Do you remember when I told you the end is soon to come? A few days ago, a memory came back to me. What determined that the end will come soon was something that happened ten years ago. And when your senpai talked about all that stuff from ten years ago, it gave me a bad feeling. It answered the question of why the big tower is your school, but it also brought other worries. A lot of people... died because of that, didn't they?"
Minako noticed how Pharos seemed disturbed by the fact that a lot of people had died. She nodded.
Pharos looked sad. "All living things will die one day. No one can escape it. For a long time, I thought it was normal for people to die. But now that I think about it, it's too sad. Maybe not so much to those who leave, but mostly to those who stay. People die, go away to never return, and leave their loved ones behind. It must be very painful to lose someone dear." He paused. "Minako... your parents died... ten years ago, too, wasn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Why did they die?"
Minako had known what happened because she had heard it from Aigis, but to tell the truth, she didn't quite recall much of it. "It was an accident. My parents and I were on our way back from a party, and it was very late at night when it happened. I don't remember the details. I only remember I somehow got knocked out of the car that was in flames with my parents still inside. They told me to run away. I trusted them, and ran. I had believed they'd get out of the car and run, too. I believed they'd make it... but they didn't. Days later, when I learned that they'd never come back, it was quite the chock."
"You cried a lot." It wasn't a question. "You hurt a lot. Do you... still feel lonely?"
"No, I don't feel lonely anymore, because I have my friends here with me." Even though the SEES members still didn't remember the other timeline, Minako was already quite comfortable around them. To her, they felt more like a family than her true family she had lived with while bouncing from relative to relative after her parents died. She smiled recalling how Akihiko had said she reminded him of his little sister Miki. Minako also thought about Mitsuru. The same Mitsuru who had seemed so fragile moments ago, but who had actually been doing her best to care after all of them, like a strict but caring big sister. There was also the explosive but kind Yukari, the friendly and clumsy Junpei, and the gentle and talented Fuuka. Soon their "family" would become even bigger with Shinjiro, who was like a brother to Akihiko and was very gentle despite appearances, Aigis who had a kind heart despite being a robot built as an anti-Shadow weapon, Ken who was very strong and mature for his age, and the loyal and smart dog Koromaru. And to make her odd "family" even more varied, there was Pharos, the Shadow she was raising. Despite not being from SEES, Minako now realized he was part of her daily life as much as the others were, and it was unfair not to include him in the list," too.
"It's good that you have people with you." Pharos' expression relaxed a little. He took a few steps closer to the bed, where Minako was seated. "I know how it's sad and painful to be alone all the time. I don't want you to feel lonely. So, please, remember that I'm here too. I know I can't be of much help like your other friends you see every day, I can only talk to you during the Dark Hour, and I might get you in trouble sometimes, like the textbooks confusion from last night... but I'm always with you too. If you ever feel the need to talk to someone, about anything... you can talk to me. I still don't know a lot of things and might not be able to offer very useful insights." He shook his head. "No, this wasn't right. Actually, I might not even understand what you're talking about...! But I'll listen. I like the sound of your voice, and I like to keep you company. I'll do my best to help you so that you won't ever feel lonely again."
"Thanks." Minako smiled widely at Pharos touching words. Once again, she was reminded she was currently the only person he had, and felt the need to add, "I didn't forget about you, Pharos-kun. When I said 'my friends,' that included you, too. And you can also count on me. If you need something, just tell me. I'll do anything I can to help you."
Pharos was clearly touched as well, but he seemed nervous for some reason. "Oh, but you already do so much for me...! This way I'll never be able to repay you."
"Pharos-kun, you don't need to repay me. I help you because I like to see you happy. You had said you spend your whole day alone with nothing to do. Even though there isn't much we can do during the Dark Hour, it looks like you're having fun, and I'm glad to know that I can help you have more happy moments. Every time you get excited about something we do, every time you smile, is enough retribution to me."
"Hmm. Okay." Pharos didn't seem satisfied yet, though. He took a few more steps and closed the distance between he and Minako. "I like to see you happy, too. I don't like when you're sad. So, how about this? Every time a problem bothers either of us, we should confide in each other as soon as possible. This way, we support each other and will be sad less often, or even avoid sadness altogether many times! Deal?" A glint appeared in his eyes and he flashed his usual creepy grin.
The times Minako nearly forgot Pharos was a Shadow were becoming more and more frequent, and now was one of those times. She only didn't forget it completely because his creepy grin and a few other quirks gave it away. But Minako had to admit. Pharos was too adorable. Slowly, the image of the creepy boy who had scared her so much in the other timeline had been fading away, and being replaced by the image of the curious and innocent boy who looked so happy whenever he was introduced to new things, and Minako was very glad that she became able to see more of his pure and positive side, rather than freak out on his every visit like in the previous timeline.
Despite Pharos being a Shadow, the fact that his positivity showed more and more each day indicated he had a lot of good in his heart. In fact, he had shown to have a purer heart than many humans out there. As someone who didn't grow up in this world, he had different views of it, and interesting insights to offer as well. Each day, Minako was more sure that he didn't deserve the fate of bringing the end to the world. She believed the end wasn't what the world truly needed, either. Rather, it needed more positivity to continue on. Good deeds and cheerfulness encourage people to face their problems and not run away, no matter how hard they might be. Minako was sure Pharos - or Ryoji, or whichever name he happened to choose - would do a good job of spreading positivity around if he were allowed to stay there.
With her resolve to support him even more strengthened, she grinned back. "Deal. Sounds like a plan!" She reached her hand out.
Pharos firmly squeezed her hand, and Minako saw a bunch of imaginary music notes appear above his head. He had a triumphant expression on his face, as though managing to have her hand in his were an incredible feat. Minako smiled at him. She stroked his hair using her free hand, and his eerie grin slowly faded into a wide, contented smile.
Pharos enjoyed the sensation of holding Minako's soft, delicate hand. This wouldn't have been possible if he hadn't learned to control his temperature. Rather than this, though, he wanted to hug her. Actually, he had been wanting to do it for a while. He had hugged Minako the day she had given him his change of clothes, and it had felt so good... but that time he had acted on impulse, and he was unsure whether it would be okay to hug her again. During his observations, he noticed people didn't tend to hug each other much, and after Minako had mentioned the cultural rule about showering, it occurred to him that there might be one of those rules about hugging as well. But after the whole mess with the textbooks, he was hesitant to ask her about it. So, for the time being, he decided to be content to just hold her hand. But then, Minako reached her free hand out and gently stroked his hair. Since Pharos had been trapped for ten years, he wasn't used to the sensation of touch, let alone of being touched by others. Minako's gentle touch on his head was very comforting, and Pharos concluded it was the next best thing to a hug that he would get.
"By the way, did you find what you were looking for on my textbooks?" Minako asked. "If you still want, I'll get the books for you."
"Er..." Pharos released Minako's hand and shuffled awkwardly. It was probably best to give up on his little research. That showering issue was causing much more trouble than it was worth. He could only hope he would understand the reasons eventually, maybe after more of his memories came back. He answered Minako's question by shaking his head. "No, never mind."
"Okay. I don't think I'll study now, either. Today was a rough day." Minako sighed tiredly.
"Y-yeah, it was a bit rough to me too." Pharos chose to change the subject. "On a happier note, tomorrow is Sunday. You know what this means, don't you?"
"Huh, what?"
"Here comes Tanakaaaa, over the airwaves to youuuuu!" Pharos suddenly started to clap and sing.
Minako laughed at his action. Pharos got a bit embarrassed, but then, Minako joined him and also started to sing. "Here comes Tanakaaaaa, over the airwaves to youuuuu! Granter of your desires!"
"Here comes Tanakaaaaa, over the airwaves to youuuuu! If you waaant to buy, the only time is now!" They clapped and sang in unison, then laughed together.
"Ah, this song is so catchy..." Pharos said once they had stopped laughing.
"Yeah, it is." Minako agreed.
"Remember to check the TV tomorrow so that we can hear the song again!"
"Okay, I will."
And the subject was over. Once again, Pharos considered posing the nagging question, but in the end, he only said, "Then I'll leave and let you rest. It'll be no good if you're so tired that you oversleep and miss the show, right? So, good night."
... ... ... ... ...
The following morning, Minako watched Tanaka's show, which Pharos had been so kind as to remind her about. After a few commercials, the show started, along with the catchy jingle. Minako was unable to avoid giggling as she recalled how Pharos had cheerfully sung that jingle yesterday. He had looked so cute.
Today's deal was a pair of durable shoes, which Minako bought. Tanaka's supposedly "placebo" items were actually quite useful for Tartarus exploration and Shadow hunting, believe it or not. Junpei had even defeated the Empress full moon Shadow using the All-Purpose Katana Minako had bought from the show! If only he had shouted, "Placebo Power!" when dealing the final blow, it would have been perfect...
A few hours later, Minako, Yukari, Junpei and Fuuka appeared in the lounge, ready to head out.
"Hmm?" Mitsuru raised her head away from the book she had been reading. "Are all of you heading somewhere?"
"We're going to have lunch at Hagakure." Fuuka answered.
"Hagakure..." Mitsuru repeated with a pensive expression. "I see..."
Enthusiasm disappeared from Junpei's face. "Did something happen, senpai? Do you need us here?"
"No, it's nothing." Mitsuru shook her head, then became embarrassed all of a sudden. "I-if you don't mind... may I... accompany you?"
Junpei's mouth hung slightly at the unusual question. "Senpai, you w-want to come with us?"
"Of course it's fine!" Minako smiled brightly. "Sanada-senpai said he'll meet us there after his training, too. Let's all have ramen together!"
"Really?" Mitsuru was still nervous. "I will warn you, though. I am not used to those kinds of places..."
Junpei recovered his composure. "Don't worry, senpai. We've got your back!"
The girls nodded.
Mitsuru relaxed a bit and smiled. "Um, thank you. I will get changed, then." She stood up and headed to her room.
"Get changed? Does she really need to do that?" Junpei asked to no one in particular. "She looks perfectly fine. I mean, we're just going to Hagakure. It's not a fancy party or anything like that!"
Minutes later, Mitsuru came downstairs. "Um... how do I look?" She had a sheepish smile on her face.
Everyone was stunned, not just because of Mitsuru's beauty, but due to the fact that she chose to wear a simple white T-shirt and navy blue jeans instead of her usual fancy attire.
"W-wow..." was all that Junpei managed to say.
"You look really nice, senpai!" Minako flashed an approving smile.
"I-is that so?" Mitsuru nervously fiddled with a lock of her hair. "I have been wanting to wear these clothes for some time now, but as I am not used to wearing this kind of clothes, I was not sure when it would be appropriate."
"I hadn't expected to see you in T-shirt and jeans." Fuuka admitted. "But they look very good on you, senpai."
"Uh, looks like we're ready." Junpei finally found his words. "Let's get moving!"
... ... ... ... ...
Minutes later, they were on their way to the ramen shop. The group was mostly silent, and this seemed to bother Mitsuru a bit.
"Um..." Junpei broke the silence. "I've been thinking about our talk yesterday... it must be tough. Being addressed as 'Kirijo-senpai' all the time must be very annoying... is it okay if we call you 'Mitsuru-senpai' instead?" Junpei bluntly asked. No one would have been bold enough to ask for Mitsuru's permission to call her by her first name like that. No one, except Ryoji who, in the other timeline, had called her by her first name without so much as asking for permission...
"Junpei!" Yukari glared at him.
However, gratitude reflected in Mitsuru's gaze, and she nodded. "It is no problem. Thank you for your consideration, Iori."
When they arrived at Hagakure, Akihiko was already there. His jaw dropped when he saw Mitsuru with them, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, no less.
Mitsuru had no idea what to order and let the others choose for her.
Akihiko kept staring wordlessly at Mitsuru. He only brought the subject up once everyone had placed their orders and were waiting for the food.
"So, how did you manage to force Mitsuru to put on casual clothes and drag her here?"
"We didn't need to "force" anything." Minako answered. "We only told her we'd be having lunch here, and she asked to come with us."
Mitsuru nodded in confirmation.
"Simple as that?" Akihiko was still puzzled. "Wow. I invited her here a few times, but she refused. I had thought she didn't like this kind of place, or didn't like ramen, or something. Er, because... you know, fast food..."
"N-no." Mitsuru shook her head and her cheeks turned red. "I am just not used to this kind of place and food. I have no idea how to behave at a facility like this one, and didn't want to cause you trouble... that's all."
"Wh-what are you talking about? It'd be no trouble at all," Akihiko said timidly. "A-and you look good in these clothes, Mitsuru," he added.
"Th-thank you." Mitsuru's blush intensified a bit, and she smiled. "They are quite comfortable as well. I may consider getting more of these into my wardrobe."
Junpei seemed ready to make some inappropriate comment at the two senpai's' exchange, but the waiter arrived and saved the two from the embarrassment.
When they were about to start eating, Mitsuru spoke awkwardly. "Um, so... uh, what is the etiquette here?"
"Etiquette?" Fuuka sounded confused. "Nothing special, as far as I know..." She glanced at the others for suggestions.
"Just slurp the ramen and make a lot of noise!" Junpei said bluntly.
Mitsuru was horrified. "Is this s-serious?"
"Yeah!" Junpei grinned.
"Ah, yes, we slurp the ramen." Fuuka nodded. Slurping the noodles felt so natural to them that it probably didn't even occur to her to mention it.
"Some say that the more noise you make, the more you show you're enjoying the food!" Akihiko added.
Mitsuru looked around and noticed people at other tables slurping their noodles. "Oh, what a shock. Making noise while eating is viewed as rude in other restaurants."
"Hmm, well, not really the noise, but slurping makes the noodles cool down a bit, so they get to a more manageable temperature by the time they enter your mouth." Fuuka reasoned.
"Oh, makes sense..." Mitsuru nodded, a bit more relieved after hearing that explanation.
Minako smiled gently and added, "Some people consider it important to show appreciation for the ramen by making noise, but I think you don't need to go overboard. Don't worry about it too much, and just enjoy your time."
"A-alright, then. I will try." Encouraged, Mitsuru awkwardly attempted to slurp her ramen. Her results weren't so good at first, but she seemed determined to master the slurping technique. She became more at ease at each try. About halfway through her meal, she started to get the hang of it, and didn't seem embarrassed anymore.
"Do you like it, senpai?" Minako asked.
"Yes, I do." Mitsuru answered with a smile. "I find this taste quite... nostalgic for some reason."
"Nostalgic" was an odd word to use, but Minako couldn't agree more, because she immediately recalled the event when her Social Link with Mitsuru had started at the exact same place in the previous timeline. Minako couldn't resist and smiled back.
After lunch, they went to Screen Shot and watched a movie together. Their walk back to the dorm was filled with laughter and animated comments about the movie.
When they arrived back at the dorm, Mitsuru had a carefree expression on her face, as though most of her worries had been washed away. "I haven't had such an enjoyable day in a very long time. Thank you, everyone."
"Anytime!" Junpei said enthusiastically. "We should do this more often."
"Definitely." Mitsuru agreed.
"Just tell us where you want to go, and we'll go with you!" Minako matched Junpei's enthusiasm.
"Thank you," Mitsuru said, and smiled appreciatively.
Then, everything seemed to freeze, the Empress Tarot card invaded Minako's vision, and her Social Link with Mitsuru was reestablished. The bond wasn't solely between Mitsuru and Minako. It included the others as well, and Minako was sure that if the others were also wild cards, they would also have a Social Link starting right now.
... ... ... ... ...
Minako waited for Pharos that Dark Hour.
Pharos appeared somewhere in the room, then walked over to the bed where she was seated. "Hi, Minako. I see that you had a lot of fun with your friends today. I watched you at the ramen place, and learned some things. I had known people slurped the noodles, but I'd never stopped to think there was actually a reason for it. It was very interesting!"
Minako noticed he seemed a bit downcast despite his words and his attempt to look cheerful. "Pharos-kun... I'm sorry that you couldn't have been there with us. You'll be free soon, and then we'll hang out. Hold on just a bit more, okay?"
"I know..." Pharos forced a smile. "And you don't need to apologize. It isn't your fault. You're doing everything you can. In fact, you're doing too much for me already..."
Minako felt she should get Pharos' focus away from her outings with her friends. Constantly watching those events most likely made him feel left out. She should distract him from those as much as possible and not let him get depressed. But what else could she do?
"Hmm, okay, let's talk about something else," she said. "Exams start in two days. Would you help me study a little?"
"Sure!" Pharos' mood changed instantly. He answered and hopped on his feet, glad to feel useful.
Minako wasn't really in the mood to study, but both of them really needed to change their focus. "Okay. I'll get the textbooks." She stood up and went over to her desk to retrieve her study materials.
Like the other day, they sat on the bed and Pharos read the information on the book aloud to her. He would sometimes ask questions about a few of the lesson's points, and Minako would try to help him understand.
Most of the Dark Hour had already passed, and Minako decided to call it a day. She went over to her desk and put the textbooks back in her bag. When she finished organizing her things and turned around, she found Pharos standing and staring at her expectantly. He slowly took a few steps closer to her. He looked like he wanted to say something, but remained quiet.
"What is it?" Minako asked.
"... H-huh?" Pharos quickly tore his gaze away from her.
"You look like you want to say something." Minako insisted.
Pharos bit his lip. She had noticed his hesitation.
"Haven't we made a deal? Come on, tell me what's bothering you." Minako encouraged him.
There was no backing out, apparently. Pharos took a deep breath and mustered up his courage. "I j-just wanted to... ask about something."
At this, Minako also seemed uneasy, but in the end, she said, "Go on. I... I'll do my best to answer."
"A-alright. Then, I'll ask. When... when is it okay to... to hug someone? I mean, I noticed people don't seem to hug much. So, I was wondering..."
"Uh, um..." Minako considered how to answer. "Um, when we want to comfort someone, I guess. Usually, we only hug people we're very attached to, like relatives and very close friends. As you said, people don't hug much, and some of them might not be okay with it. They might feel uncomfortable if they aren't used to hugging."
"Oh..." It was more difficult than he had thought. "A lot of restrictions, and we still need to know if the person is okay with hugs. It's hard to figure out, then..."
"Yeah."
"Um..." Pharos looked at Minako nervously. He tried to go straight to the point, but the words got stuck in his throat. "I know we're friends, but... are... are we... close enough to...?"
Pharos was saved from having to finish his sentence, because understanding crossed Minako's eyes, and she smiled at him. "I believe we are." She walked over to him and gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
A serene expression took over Pharos' face as his worries dissolved at Minako's soothing touch. He was grateful that Minako had accepted him as a friend, and also considered him a close friend even though he didn't have much to offer to her. He gently and tightly returned the hug. He hoped his gesture would get his gratitude message across, as he felt words couldn't express it. He rested his head on Minako's shoulder, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the moment as the seconds ticked by.
Minako understood it now. She remembered very well the day she gave Pharos his change of clothes, when he had hugged her. She had also noticed his expectant looks at the end of his subsequent visits. Pharos had been silently longing for another hug all this time. It had to be it. He had seemed so content when they had hugged that day. It made sense that he would want to do it again. It was so obvious. Why hadn't she realized it before? And why hadn't it occurred to her to hug him again until now? They were in July already. Minako only had a few months to give him attention and make up for his ten years of loneliness, and she didn't feel she was doing a very good job of it. All she could do was to hug him tighter and hope it would account for something.
When they broke apart, Pharos looked completely relaxed.
"Minako, thank you. I feel refreshed." He broke the silence. "... But what about you? Did... did you feel uncomfortable?"
Minako smiled gently. "No. It was nice. We should do this again."
"... Yeah!" Unlike usual, Pharos grinned a wide but not creepy grin. He nodded happily, and let out a lot of imaginary music notes. "I'll go now. Good night." He hopped excitedly over to a corner out of Minako's sight, and left.
And then, the Death Arcana Social Link went up to level 4.
A/n: the part where Mitsuru's father tells her she should trust others more is actually from the other timeline. It was during the Yakushima trip, which hasn't happened in this timeline yet (the trip will be next chapter, actually!). Minako hadn't been there at the time and couldn't hear it, and has no idea that it leaked from Mitsuru's past memories.
In the game, Mitsuru's Social Link only starts if academics is maxed. But in this story, the fact that Minako studies so much clearly shows that her academics is not maxed, yet she had the Empress Social Link in the other timeline. let's say that by the end of the year, Mitsuru had come to trust Minako enough to start the Social Link (Minako's abilities, trust and reliability in SEES' affairs should count for something, right? :P ).
Slowly but surely, Pharos is becoming more "human" and less... "Shadowy" :D .
People don't hug much in Japan. The very opposite from what happens here in Brazil, where people tend to greet friends with light hugs and light pecks on the cheeks XD .