Guiding Star
Written by Aiyumi
Disclaimer: Persona and all related characters are property of Atlus, Inc. 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 11: Summer Festival
Soon, the August full moon operation was over. The Chariot and Justice Arcana Shadows didn't pose much of a problem to the SEES members. What most affected them, though, was Strega, the group of Persona users that was against ending the Dark Hour.
X:X:X:X:X
"I have heard you all want to end the Dark Hour. But is this really what you want?" Takaya, Strega's leader, had said. "Admit it. The Dark Hour granted you a new power. A new purpose. Hasn't your life improved thanks to this? If you end the Dark Hour, what are you going to do? Return to having a dull, pathetic life?"
That seemed to stir internal conflicts in the SEES members.
"No, it's not like that!" Minako had answered between gritted teeth. The impact of what Takaya had said wasn't the main reason for her worries, though. The sight of Takaya sent warning bells in her head. He was the man who had killed Shinjiro in the previous timeline. Minako needed to make sure it wouldn't happen again.
X:X:X:X:X
The day after the operation was a Saturday. After her morning routine, Minako went downstairs and found Junpei alone in the living room, slumped on the couch and with an unfocused look.
"Good morning, Junpei."
"Hey..." Junpei didn't so much as look at her to answer her greeting.
"You look a bit down..." Minako observed.
"Oh, really? Who wouldn't be? Of course, only you, because it looks like nothing affects our fearless leader, huh?" A rare drop of sarcasm escaped the mouth of the ever so cheerful Junpei Iori. Apparently, even he noticed how uncharacteristic it was, from the way he moved away from the couch's backrest and sat straight. He heaved a sigh and finally turned his head to face Minako properly. "Sorry. Bad day."
Minako could tell that Junpei had been referring to their encounter with Strega. She was considering how to respond to him when he began talking again.
"Say, what do you think will happen after the Dark Hour disappears?"
"Um... let's see... everyone with Apathy Syndrome will be cured. Our school won't turn into Tartarus anymore, and we won't need to worry about risking our lives in there, or about Shadows abducting people into there. And we'll have more time to study, and to hang out with friends."
"Friends...?" Junpei uttered absentmindedly.
"Yeah, I mean all of us. It's not like we'll all become strangers once the Dark Hour is over, right?"
"Uh... yeah, I guess. I hadn't thought about it that way." Junpei admitted. "I kinda assumed our lives would go back to how they were before we moved to the dorm."
Minako chuckled. "I can assure you. After all this stuff, our lives will never be the same again."
A smile slowly formed on Junpei's face. "You're probably right..."
Satisfied with Junpei's reaction, Minako decided to change the subject. "I'll make breakfast."
"Sounds great!" Junpei brightened up a little. "We had homemade dinner yesterday. And now you're saying you'll make breakfast? It's non-convenience store food for the second time in a row!"
Minako started walking toward the kitchen, but abruptly spun around to face Junpei again. "Mind helping me?"
"What? ... M-me?" Junpei shuffled awkwardly.
"Yeah. Looks like you're the only other person awake right now."
"But I can't cook!" He argued.
"Just help me look for the ingredients, then. Or, at least watch and keep me company while I work."
"Huh?" Junpei blinked incredulously. "You're serious? You really want me around while you work?"
"I do. Working alone in the kitchen is too boring! What better person to lift the mood than you? You always cheer me up!"
"Um, my own mood isn't that great today." Despite his words, he still cracked a grin, likely glad to feel useful. "But if you insist..." Junpei stood up.
Minako smiled. "That's the spirit." She resumed her walk to the kitchen, with Junpei trailing behind. "So, what do we have in the fridge?"
Junpei opened the fridge. "Hmm, not much. Onions, some eggs... and what's this?" He found a plastic bag inside the freezer. "Huh? Raw chicken...? And this is?" He inspected a pot to check what was inside. "Oh. It's rice... Mina-tan, we have mostly raw stuff. The only cooked stuff in here's Fuuka's leftover rice from yesterday..."
Partly thanks to the experiences subconsciously carried over from the other timeline, and partly thanks to Minako's help in this one, Fuuka's cooking hadn't been turning disastrous anymore, and the results could be considered fairly normal. Nothing outstanding, but the food was edible, and tasted how it should.
On the night of the operation, Fuuka helped Yukari prepare dinner. She cooked the rice and cut vegetables, Yukari roasted some meat and prepared the salad, and all the while, Mitsuru watched attentively. The girls had bought the chicken, but in the end they didn't use it.
"Not much to work with." Minako considered what to do. "Junpei, take the eggs, the onions and the chicken. I'll fry them. Oh, and get the rice too."
"Alright." Junpei did as asked and placed everything on the sink. "Eggs, rice, and chicken..." He grinned. "Are you thinking the same as me? Sounds like we have ingredients for omurice!"
"Yep! Omelet rice it is!"
... ... ... ... ...
Minutes later, Minako was wrapping the leftover rice and fried chicken with the egg in a frying pan.
"Ah! Junpei! What are you doing in the kitchen!?" Was the first thing Yukari said upon her arrival.
"Yuka-tan. At least a 'mornin'' would've been nice." He complained from his position, seated on a chair. "I'm only watching our leader do her magic."
"Hmm..." Yukari looked at him suspiciously. "You aren't causing trouble, are you?"
"Of course not!" Junpei seemed offended. "I'm just keeping her company!"
Yukari ignored him. "Minako-chan, if he causes you trouble, just tell me and I'll kick him out of the kitchen for you."
"It was me who asked for him to stay here." Minako answered. "He's behaving."
"Take that!" Junpei smirked at Yukari.
"If you say so..." Yukari completely ignored Junpei and continued talking to Minako. "Do you need any help with the omelets?"
"No, I'm almost finished. Thanks."
"Well, I guess I'll keep an eye on Junpei, then." Yukari pulled a chair and sat down. "He might be nabbing and eating ingredients when you aren't looking, who knows?"
"Why do you distrust me so much? Geez..." Junpei mumbled.
"This smell..." Akihiko approached the kitchen.
"I detect rice, eggs and fried chicken," Aigis said.
"It's omurice!" Ken exclaimed.
"Breakfast's ready!" Minako shouted from the kitchen. "Yukari-chan and Junpei, help me serve everyone, please."
Yukari, Junpei and Minako took the bowls with omelet rice to the table in the living room, and everyone began to eat.
"Hmm!" Akihiko nodded approvingly with his mouth full.
"Oh. This is the rumored omurice..." Mitsuru peered at her food studiously.
"Mitsuru-san, you've never had omurice before? I can't believe it!" Ken was incredulous. "Omurice tastes awesome. You have no idea what you've been missing!"
Mitsuru took a bite of her omelet. "Hmm. Good work, Arisato."
"Hahaha." Minako laughed sheepishly. "We can say this was kind of teamwork. I only prepared the eggs and the chicken and wrapped everything, while Junpei cheered me on. And the rice is the one Fuuka-chan made."
"Huh?" Fuuka even stopped eating. "This is my rice? I didn't recognize it!"
"Analysis fail?" Junpei flashed a playful grin at Fuuka.
"Analysis?" Ken obviously didn't understand.
"Huh? Ah..." Junpei realized he had said things he shouldn't. They had to keep Ken out of SEES affairs until they were sure he really had the potential. "Hahahaha, uh... you know, Fuuka's very smart and analyzes things a lot..."
"Oh, um... I-I think I understand." Ken answered after some thought. "It just... sounds like you, Fuuka-san."
Fuuka seemed unsure about how to respond. "Uh, th-thanks...?"
The SEES members continued talking rather animatedly while they ate.
They finished their meal. Ken excused himself and left for his room. Everyone else remained where they were.
"Um... everyone?" Fuuka began timidly. "I've been wondering... about what that Person from Strega said." The cheerfulness was gone immediately, and the atmosphere thickened. All eyes turned to Fuuka, and it became apparent that the same subject was in everyone else's heads. "I know that putting an end to the Dark Hour is the right thing to do... but I can't deny that my life improved because of it. I don't have a place at home. My family doesn't care about me. But because of the Dark Hour, I awakened to my Persona, and my abilities are needed here. I had never felt so accomplished before joining SEES."
Minako figured she should expose her view on the subject. "Yeah, like I said on Yakushima, I'm grateful that I ended up here in this dorm and met all of you, even though the reason was Personas and the Dark Hour. But this is what I think. I view the Dark Hour as just the bridge that brought us together, and not something we should cling to. What I mean is, the bonds we formed and the things we learned are what really matters. These are what we should take care to preserve, even after the Dark Hour is over. We all got together because we united to put an end to the Dark Hour, and it's what we should do."
Everyone had blank expressions for a moment, as though they were trying to process Minako's words, then they slowly nodded.
"Well said, Arisato." Mitsuru's expression relaxed and settled into a gentle one. "I agree completely. The Dark Hour is a curse brought upon us by my grandfather's twisted ambitions. However, while searching for new members to help fight the Dark Hour, I found all of you. I have learned many things living in this dorm. I can say with certainty that I am also glad to have met each one of you."
The girls smiled, Akihiko nodded, and Junpei seemed lost in thought.
Then, Minako's cellphone rang and broke the mood.
"Ah, sorry!" Minako picked up the phone. "Hello? Hey, Theo... the barrier in Tartarus disappeared? ... We can climb up to 114? ... Okay, thanks." And she hung up.
"... What was that about?" Akihiko asked the question likely in everyone's minds.
And Minako realized it was the first time that she picked up one of Theodore's calls while in front of everyone. "Uh... ah. It was Theodore..."
"That guy who manages your extra Personas?" Yukari asked.
"Yeah. He also tells me whenever people wander into Tartarus, and when new floors get unblocked."
"He can monitor Tartarus? And what is this about extra Personas?" Mitsuru wanted an explanation.
"I met him right after I awakened to my Persona. He says his job is to help those that can use multiple Personas. He stores the extra Personas I can't carry so that I can recall them later."
"Yeah, Yuka-tan and I ran into him once. He says withdrawing Personas cost money! It's crazy!"
"I have never heard of anything like this..." Mitsuru said with a pensive expression. "I had thought the only people knowledgeable about Personas were the ones involved with the Kirijo Group's researches."
Minako fidgeted. "Um, sorry for not having told about him earlier. Uh... to tell the truth, it had completely slipped my mind! Things were so crazy in the beginning. First the Dark Hour, then awakening to my Persona, then Tartarus... and when I realized it, I was already taking all the crazy stuff for granted." It was mostly true. The craziness had begun in the other timeline, and Minako was already taking everything for granted this time around. "Ah, and there's also Igor, Theo's superior. He helps me by fusing my Personas to create new ones."
"So, this is why you show up with so many different Personas all the time!" Junpei concluded.
"Igor-san..." Aigis repeated the name. "By any chance, does he wear formal attire and have a very long nose?"
Minako hadn't seen that coming. "Huh? Yeah!"
"Aigis, Have you met these people Arisato is talking about?" Mitsuru asked in surprise.
"I believe so... although I do not remember when or where. However, I do not recall having met this Theodore-san who Minako-san speaks of. I vaguely remember Igor-san, as well as a woman."
"Oh. That must be Elizabeth." Minako clarified. "She's Theo's older sister."
"Theodore and Elizabeth? Cool foreign names, huh?" Junpei smirked.
"I'm pretty sure they've been around even before what happened ten years ago," Minako said. "If not for their help, I don't know if we'd have been able to come this far..."
"Our leader's getting help... no, we're getting help!" Junpei corrected. "Now I remember the Theo guy saying that our battle's important and that all of us are special..." Junpei pumped a fist. "He must've been talking about ending the Dark Hour! He's helping us. We aren't alone in our battle! We can do this, guys!"
... ... ... ... ...
That night, Koromaru joined SEES.
"Wow, he's really joining us!" Junpei exclaimed.
"Arf!" Koromaru barked.
"Koromaru-san says he is glad to be among us." Aigis translated.
"We'll take good care of you, Koro-chan." Fuuka assured him.
"We'll take you on walks, too!" Junpei said.
"Arf!"
"He says he enjoys going on walks."
"Arf!"
"But summer is too hot."
"Arf arf!"
"And he prefers spring mornings."
Minako perked up at the mention of spring mornings. Could it be...? "Did he actually say that?"
"Maybe not exactly, but something to that effect." Aigis clarified.
Minako looked expectantly at Koromaru. He turned his head in her direction, and their eyes met. Then everything froze and she heard the sound of shattering glass.
"Thou art I... ... and I am thou..." The familiar voice rang inside Minako's head, and the Strength Tarot card appeared in her vision. "Thou hast recovered a previously established bond. A bond thou hast forged that cannot be broken." Then, the Strength Social Link formed and shot straight up to level 10.
Koro-chan... Minako thought as she smiled and her heart leapt in joy. Finally someone that remembered! "Spring is still a long ways away, but we'll get there." Minako told him, and got a cheerful bark in response.
... ... ... ... ...
During the Dark Hour, Pharos came to visit Minako, and they were talking seated on the bed.
"I've been thinking about the Dark Hour a lot lately," Pharos said. "I've always been awake during it. It isn't supposed to be normal, but for some reason, I felt at ease during it. When I realized I could move during this hour, I was very excited. And it's the only time I can interact with you, which is the best thing that ever happened to me. So, I admit. At first, I liked the Dark Hour. But lately, I've been noticing a lot of things that I dislike about it. I don't like that I can't do much during the Dark Hour because most things like electronics don't work. I can't talk with other people because they are unconscious. I don't like that the Dark Hour is dangerous, and that it's the time you and your friends risk your lives in the big tower."
Minako listened with interest. Pharos had never raised those points in the other timeline.
"There was also that talk about how the Dark Hour began ten years ago and a lot of people died because of it." Pharos went on. "And when we went to the beach and the town in the countryside, the atmosphere looked so nice and lively that it made me want to see those places for myself. But I took a look around during the Dark Hour, and nothing was as it should be. The scenery was twisted and lacked all its liveliness. It felt very wrong. To tell the truth, I think there are more negative things about the Dark Hour than positive ones. Now I can say for sure that ending the Dark Hour is the right thing to do." Pharos sighed and lowered his head in shame. "I feel bad for having liked the Dark Hour in the beginning. I had known it was dangerous, but I was only thinking about myself, and hadn't considered how it was harmful to others. I had thought that, as long as I could move and come to visit you, it was okay. I was so selfish..."
On one hand, Minako was glad that Pharos was opening up more and changing some of his views. The first time, he had been mostly distant to everything before he became able to see the world for himself as Ryoji. Minako could tell that, this time, he had been detached from the world initially, but something changed along the way. Now, he hadn't even become Ryoji yet and had already been getting more and more attached to the world and its inhabitants. However, Minako realized this was a double-edged sword. It was sad to see how he looked disturbed at the mention of the incident from ten years ago, and this might impact him much more negatively by the time he remembered the truth. Ryoji had suffered too much with the recollections as it was, and Minako feared he would take it much worse this time around. This might be one of the decisive factors that might lead him to either help them convince Nyx, or choose to run away and do something drastic and irreversible, depending on the strength of his resolve. Minako needed to make sure to support him and prepare him for the moment of truth, and not let Ryoji distance himself from them during December like what had happened the previous time.
"Pharos-kun." Minako gently spoke his name. "It's like I said to my friends this morning. We shouldn't cling to the Dark Hour. We learned more about ourselves while dealing with the Dark Hour's happenings, and what should really matter to us is what we learned, not the Dark Hour itself. Even if we used to consider the Dark Hour beneficial to us before, now we realize that it's not, and can tell what's important. it's a good thing that we had this realization. It means that we've grown as people."
Pharos took some time to think, then smiled. "Oh, I understand. You're probably right." He brightened up. "I hope I can awaken to a Persona. This way I can help you and your friends put an end to the Dark Hour!"
Minako smiled back. "I hope so, too."
... ... ... ... ...
August 9th was a Sunday. Minako went out to take a walk. She was at the shrine when she found a young man seated on a bench and gasping for breath. Minako did what she could and tried to help him, without much success. Even so, she stayed by his side until his gasps eventually subsided.
"Thank you for your help," the man said.
"No problem. Sorry I couldn't do much, though."
"No." He shook his head. "sorry if I worried you. This happens all the time." He changed the subject. "I remember you. You were playing with that little girl."
"Yeah, I was about to say the same thing." Minako also recognized him. She had seen him playing with Maiko once - actually twice -, because it happened on both the previous timeline and the current one. Minako hadn't run into him ever since, though.
He spoke again. "She's so lively. By contrast, I'm in a hospital, with my life draining painfully day by day."
"You're sick?" Even though it was obvious, Minako asked the question to get him to elaborate.
"I have an incurable genetic disease." He answered. "I have no past to be proud of, nor a future to hope for. The only thing I have done so far is burden others. My mother and the medics insist on looking after me, even though they, too, know that I'm a lost cause. I wish this suffering would end soon..." He sighed in resignation.
It was sad. Minako didn't know what to say. To tell the truth, she didn't feel she had the right to say anything. She was sure he was suffering beyond her imagination. She chose to stay silent and only give him a look of sympathy. Then, the abrupt sound of shattering glass startled her, accompanied by a Tarot card.
"Thou art I... ... and I am thou. Thou hast established a new bond. Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Sun Arcana..."
Minako was surprised. She didn't have that Social Link in the other timeline.
"Excuse me." His voice pulled her back to attention. "We still haven't introduced ourselves, have we? My name is Akinari Kamiki."
"I'm Minako Arisato. Nice to meet you, Kamiki-san."
I am glad to meet you as well, Arisato-san. I haven't talked to someone around my age in a long time..." Akinari smiled sadly. "However, as much as I'm glad to have met you, I would prefer you never come to see me again. I feel something different, special about you. I feel that, unlike me, you have something very important to accomplish, and a great future ahead. You shouldn't waste your precious time on someone hopeless such as me."
On her way back to the dorm, Minako couldn't stop thinking about Akinari's words. He said he didn't want her to come back, but she could tell that he didn't mean what he said. It seemed like he had enjoyed her company. He was suffering too much, and was in need of some cheering up. Minako would make sure to try to cheer him up if she saw him again.
... ... ... ... ...
It was their first week of summer break, but Minako and friends couldn't enjoy it much. Mitsuru had said they needed to balance battles and studies and enrolled them in summer school.
Pharos observed Minako during summer school and tried to follow the lectures. On Tuesday, August 11th, Mr. Edogawa lectured class 2-f about the meanings of each Arcana in the Tarot. Despite being long, the lecture was interesting. Pharos wondered whether the weird school nurse knew anything about Personas.
Minako was tired when she came back to the dorm. That night, she went to bed early, and during the Dark Hour, she was still asleep.
Pharos kept thinking to himself. He recalled Minako saying her friends might let him live in the dorm if he learned to use a Persona. Did he have a Persona? Since he had nothing to do, he decided to use his free time to try to find out.
Pharos left the premises of the dorm and went as far as his limited power allowed, which was only a few blocks away. He wanted to find out if he could manifest a Persona. Pharos materialized on an empty street, and began tapping into his inner power. He had an idea of what to look for. A peculiar presence inside himself, similar to the various ones Minako manifested, or the ones that came out of her friends. Pharos was excited, confident he had known what he was doing.
However, his excitement soon fizzled out. Minutes passed, and his search was unfruitful. He felt nothing.
Pharos refused to give up, though. "Persona." He uttered with determination, and his voice echoed in the silent street. To his disappointment, nothing happened. "... Persona!" He said louder and projected his power forward. It formed into a ball of energy that exploded as an Agilao in front of him, but no Persona came out.
Pharos desperately tried searching his inner power again, but it was useless. Not even a hint of a Persona inside him. Disappointed, he looked upward at the big moon. It didn't ease him in the slightest. Rather, the twisted scenery of the Dark Hour brought a sickening feeling to his chest. Pharos refused to stare at that scenery any longer and, as fast as he could, he dematerialized and retreated back to the dorm, and tuned everything out as soon as he was back in his prison.
... ... ... ... ...
It was Saturday, August 15th, the last day of summer school. It was hot, and it was easy to tell from most students' faces that they would rather be somewhere else enjoying their summer vacation rather than studying. Not even the teachers seemed to be in the mood to come to class... and a teacher being absent meant that class 2-F had to endure a lecture by Mr. Edogawa. Again. For the third time that week. That amounted to half of the summer course. Minako didn't recall having had three Edogawa lectures in the other timeline.
after school, Minako was on her way back to the dorm with Junpei.
"Summer school is finally over." Minako commented once they had boarded the monorail.
"Do you really think these lectures will have any use to us, though?" Junpei questioned. "Seriously. Three days of Edogawa's lectures! Magic? Tarot? Kabbalah? Why'd we need to learn that stuff?"
"They're the most relevant lessons related to Personas and Shadows, in my opinion."
"Hmm?" Junpei raised an eyebrow. "Hadn't you said this before?"
"Huh? Had I?" Then, Minako recalled she had indeed said that. It had been during their discussion in the Velvet Room, right before they traveled back in time. She couldn't suppress a smile. It was nice to see someone remember things from the other timeline, however small the detail. "... Maybe. And honestly, I think Mr. Edogawa knows something."
"Huh?"
"About Personas and stuff. I think he knows what's going on," Minako said. "Or at least can tell something's going on."
"Edogawa, aware of Persona stuff? Who would have guessed..."
"Yeah. I wouldn't underestimate his 'magic' skills."
They remained in silence until they had disembarked.
"Tomorrow there'll be a festival at Naganaki Shrine." Junpei broke the silence. "Do you like festivals?"
"Yeah! I've gone to a few festivals, with cousins and some classmates. They were fun."
"Good for you." Junpei sounded envious. "Ah, festivals. Yukata, dances, takoyaki... I'd go, but going alone is too boring! If only I had someone to go with... I've considered inviting Yuka-tan, but there's no way she'd accept. What do you think I should do?"
"Um, come with me instead?" Minako suggested.
Junpei nearly tripped. "Wh-what?"
"I suggested we go together!" Minako rephrased. "We're both looking for someone to go with, right?"
"A-are you sure? Don't you have anyone to go with yet? I thought a lot of people had already invited you..."
"No, no one yet. You're the first one to talk about it to me."
Junpei clasped his hands. "Great! Let's go together, then! If you could wear a yukata, it'd be even more awesome!" He shook his head. "Hahaha, never mind. Forget I said that..."
... ... ... ... ...
At night, Minako went to Club Escapade to talk to Mutatsu, the drinking old monk who was her Tower Arcana Social Link.
Mutatsu ordered something non-alcoholic for Minako to drink while they talked. The drink came, and Minako tasted it. It was too sweet for her liking, but she did her best to drink without complaining.
"All those youngsters come here to relieve stress," Mutatsu said. "They keep lookin' at those dizyin' lights and dancin' all night to that loud music, and think it'll relieve them from their problems! I bet a sutra would be much more effective. Say, how 'bout you bring me that microphone from the stage and I recite a sutra for everyone to hear?"
"Good idea." Minako answered as she tried to imagine the gruff old monk reading a sutra.
Mutatsu shook his head. "No, kid, don't get carried away. It ain't a good idea. There's a proper time and place for everythin', and here and now sure ain't it. I was jokin'. Ya shouldn't believe everythin' others say!"
Minako chuckled. "I was joking too. But I'm kind of interested to hear you recite something."
This made Mutatsu chuckle as well.
They continued talking calmly and sipping their respective drinks. Minako could tell that Mutatsu was enjoying his time and relieving stress, even though he was neither dancing to the club's dizzying lights or listening to a sutra. At the end of their interaction, the Tower Social Link ranked up.
... ... ... ... ...
During breakfast on Sunday morning, Minako found out that everyone from SEES was actually planning to go to the festival. Mitsuru, Akihiko, Aigis...
"Arf, arf." And even Koromaru?
"He says that since people are used to seeing him wandering near the shrine, it probably won't be a problem to be around as long as he doesn't get in anyone's way." Aigis translated.
"Good point," Minako said.
"That was smart." Junpei commented.
Fuuka looked at Ken. "What about you, Amada-kun?"
"Don't worry about me," Ken said. "I'll be fine here by myself."
"You don't want to go?" Yukari asked.
"It'd be boring. I don't know anyone there."
"What are you talking about? You know us, silly." Minako smiled cheerfully at Ken. He hadn't gone to the festival in the other timeline. Minako was sure he would have enjoyed it. "All of us are going. Just come with us. It'll be fun!"
"Huh? Don't you mind having me around...?"
"It'll be nice to have you around," Minako said.
"Uh, okay." Ken hesitantly agreed and gave a shy smile. "I'll be careful to not get in anyone's way."
... ... ... ... ...
Night came. It was time to go to the festival.
Minako had enjoyed the festival in the other timeline. She had gone with Akihiko. He had kept talking about how Minako reminded him of his little sister Miki, and how Miki would have loved to come to the festival if she were alive. Minako had had a lot of fun that day. Her only regret was not having bought a yukata to wear for the occasion. So, this time, she had bought one in advance.
Junpei met her near the shrine. "Wow, Mina-tan! I didn't think you'd really be in a yukata! You look great!"
"Minako-san! Junpei-san!" Aigis approached them.
"Hahaha, awesome!" Junpei seemed happy. "Ai-chan, you're in a yukata too!"
"So are most of the others." Aigis pointed behind, towards the approaching SEES members.
The other SEES members were also in a yukata. Mitsuru was by Akihiko's side, while Yukari and Fuuka accompanied Ken.
"Uh, this is a bit... awkward." Mitsuru fidgeted nervously.
"Don't worry, Mitsuru. You're looking great." Akihiko complimented her and made her blush slightly.
They took a walk around and saw some kids throwing food for Koromaru, who was loitering nearby.
Yukari smiled. "Nice that even Koromaru is having fun."
Everyone agreed.
"Hey, look who I found!" Minako waved at a girl in the distance. "Chihiro-chan!"
Chihiro, who was in casual clothes and alone, startled at Minako's voice and turned around. She slowly approached the group. "A-Arisato-senpai! And... Ms. President, too... um, g-good evening..." She greeted them shyly.
"Good evening, Fushimi." Mitsuru responded, then turned to the others. "Some of you may already know. She is Chihiro Fushimi, the Student Council treasurer."
"Um, nice to meet you all." Chihiro bowed slightly.
"Did someone come with you?" Minako asked.
"Uh, n-no. I came by myself." A sheepish smile appeared on the treasurer's face. "This is silly, but... I, uh... I read about a festival on a manga the other day, then I heard we'd have one here at the shrine, and..."
"AAah, I totally see what you mean!" Junpei chimed in.
Chihiro was startled again.
"Was it the one on the monthly shoujo magazine? I saw it too!" Ken blurted out, then got embarrassed. "Err, um... I get curious and... take peeks at shoujo manga sometimes." He added shyly. "I-is it weird?"
"H-huh? ... I d-don't think so. Well, I read some shounen manga too..." Chihiro admitted.
They kept talking as they took a look around. Despite Chihiro's fear of talking to males, Junpei and Ken's talk about the manga she liked gradually managed to put her at ease around them.
Speaking of manga, a volume of a manga was the prize of one of the festival's shooting games. Junpei and the two Justices decided to try their hand at it and compete to see who managed to get the manga. In the end, neither of then got it because they performed horribly in the game, and someone else much more skilled than them appeared and nabbed the prize in a blink.
"Too bad..." Junpei lamented.
"Yeah. But... it was fun." A smile made its way to Ken's face.
"Uh, yes." Chihiro slowly nodded.
"It was fun to watch, too," Minako said. "Maybe I should also try my hand at something..."
They stopped at the takoyaki stand and ordered some food.
"Arisato-senpai." Chihiro spoke as they began eating their takoyaki. "Remember that art book collection I've been wanting to buy? I couldn't save up much just yet. But I'm considering getting a part-time job to earn money towards it faster. I'm thinking about working at Be Blue V... but then I'll have to talk to a lot of customers. I'm a bit scared..."
"You can do it." Minako encouraged her.
"You're cute, too, so it'll be okay!" Ken said.
"Hmm..." Junpei smirked. "Making a move, huh, Amada boy?"
"Huh, what? ... Ah!" Ken's face flushed once he realized what Junpei had meant. He shook his head in alarm. "J-Junpei-san, it's nothing like that!" Then he turned to Chihiro. "I d-didn't mean anything weird, okay? What I wanted to say is that... although you're shy, your cuteness will make up for it and make the customers warm up to you easier!"
"I agree." Minako gave her opinion. "And after they warm up to you, you'll be more at ease to talk to them, too."
"Oh..." Chihiro blushed. "Th-thanks, Amada-kun, and Arisato-senpai."
They finished their food and Chihiro checked the time on her cellphone. "Ah! It's that time already? I need to go."
"Already? It's not that late," Minako said.
"Uh, sorry. I'd like to stay more, but I had promised I'd help my mother with some things. Everyone, um, thank you for today. I hadn't expected I'd have so much fun."
"Okay, see you around!" Minako said. "Oh, and good luck getting your part-time job."
"Thank you, Arisato-senpai. I-I'll do my best!"
Chihiro left. Only the SEES members and Ken - the soon to be SEES member - remained.
"Mitsuru-senpai, I didn't know you liked takoyaki so much..." Yukari commented.
"Me neither," Were Akihiko's words.
"Hm?" Mitsuru finished chewing her food and swallowed. "Yes, it is quite good. This taste is rather nostalgic as well. However, this is of the normal kind, is it not?"
"Normal kind? What do you mean?" Akihiko asked.
"I mean it is not of the Octopia variety." Mitsuru clarified.
"Yeah, that one tastes different." Junpei agreed.
"We should eat there sometime. All of us together." Minako suggested.
Relief appeared in Mitsuru's eyes. "I would appreciate that. As I am not used to that kind of place, I do not feel comfortable about going by myself. I wonder what their secret ingredient is..."
"Theodore said he figured it out, but he refused to tell me what it was."
"Theodore? That friend you had spoken of?" Mitsuru seemed intrigued. "Hmm. Someone familiar with both Persona-related mysteries and takoyaki-related mysteries... I hope to have the chance to talk to him someday."
Minako chuckled amusedly. "He's quite the mystery himself, and I think talking to him would leave you even more confused."
"I would also like to meet him." Aigis chimed in.
"How about this? Minako-chan, what if you invite him to hang out with us?" Fuuka suggested. "Do you think he'd agree?"
That should be interesting. "Yeah, I think he would. I'll talk to him about it."
The SEES members had been so caught up in their conversation that they failed to realize Mitsuru had mentioned Personas in the presence of Ken Amada. "Persona-related mysteries..." He murmured to himself. "Personas... Persona..."
... ... ... ... ...
Minako spent some time playing some of the festival's games, and managed to earn a few prizes, including a notebook, a set of Featherman R stickers - which she gave to Ken - and a Jack Frost doll.
Minako and Junpei found a bench and sat down for a break.
"You won a Jack Frost doll!" Junpei was amazed. "I've been trying to get one from the mall's crane game for ages! And by the way, it looks just like the real thing, doesn't it?"
"Huh?" Minako blinked. "The real thing?"
"The Persona, I mean. It's as though this doll's designer were a Persona user. Don't you think so, too?"
"Oh. Now that you mention it..." Minako stroked the stuffed Jack Frost. "I've heard there's a mythological being called Jack Frost, but I don't know if it's supposed to look exactly like this. You may be right. it makes sense. Since normal people are unconscious during the only time Personas manifest, they can't see Personas. Whoever designed this doll must either have been a Persona user, or at least have had the potential and seen someone use the Persona Jack Frost." Minako handed the doll to Junpei for him to examine.
Junpei took the doll and inspected it in silence for a while, then seemed to get lost in thought and his hands stopped navigating the Jack Frost. "Uh, Mina-tan, I know it's not the time to talk about this, but I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Have you decided what you're gonna do after high school? Are you going to college?"
"Hmm?" For sure, it was a weird question to ask at a festival in the middle of summer vacation, and the fact that it had come from Junpei made it even more unusual. "College? Yeah, probably. I haven't really decided yet."
"So, our meticulous leader hasn't decided what to do about her future yet?" Junpei grinned playfully. "Hahaha, actually, this makes me not feel so bad. I had thought I was the only one."
"Of course you aren't the only one. It's hard to decide these things."
"Hearing you say that relieves me a little..." Junpei smiled in relief. "I try to not think about it too much, but there's nothing I'm really good at, and I get scared thinking I might not find anything to pursue."
"You'll find something." Minako tried to assure him.
"I hope so..." And Junpei realized the Jack Frost doll was still in his hands. "Ah, sorry. Here." He pushed it in Minako's direction.
"Keep it."
"Huh...?" Junpei blinked.
"Just keep the Jack Frost doll. Hadn't you said you'd been trying to get one? Besides, it's of the Magician Arcana, too, just like you."
"Huh? I'm of the Magician Arcana? I had no idea. Does everyone have an Arcana?"
"Yeah."
"And what does it mean?" Junpei suddenly seemed interested.
"The Arcana determines each person's personality... or is it the other way around? I'm not sure..."
"Do you know everyone's Arcana?"
"No, just a few people's." Minako answered. "I only know the ones my Personas react to."
"You and your Persona shenanigans..." Junpei grinned. "Uh, what did Edogawa say about the Magician Arcana, again?"
"He said action and initiative are among the positive traits, and the negative ones include immaturity and impulsiveness."
"Action... immaturity and impulsiveness..." That seemed to get Junpei thinking. "Maybe I should try to pay more attention to what Edogawa says."
Minako said after a pause, "Keep the doll as a good luck charm or something."
Junpei smiled. "Okay, thanks."
... ... ... ... ...
Minako had a good time with her friends at the festival, by the end of which most of her SEES Social Links ranked up. They came back from the festival and went to bed. Minako napped for around forty minutes, and when she awoke, it was Dark Hour. She sat up, turned the lamp on, and waited for Pharos.
"Minako, good evening." He arrived.
Judging from the expression on Pharos' face, something seemed to be bothering him. Minako assumed it was the fact that he wasn't able to have fun at the festival with everyone.
"Hi, Pharos-kun."
"How was the festival? It looked fun. And that clothing you wore... yukata, was it? It looked cute on you."
Minako felt a bit embarrassed. "Uh, th-thanks. The festival was nice. And I haven't forgotten about you, okay?" She retrieved the paper bag with the festival games' prizes she had left on the ground, and took a notebook from it. "Look what I got for you!"
"F-for me?" Pharos cheered up instantly. He took the item from Minako's hands and examined it curiously. The notebook had a picture of a lake on its cover. Inside the cover was a small compartment to hold a few pens and pencils, and the notebook had divisions for the various school subjects.
"The moment I saw that notebook, I knew I had to get it," Minako said. "Since you seemed so enthusiastic about studying, I thought you'd like to have your own study notebook. I couldn't get a pen, though. Wait, I think I have an extra one." Minako walked over to her school materials and got a pen. "Yeah! Found it! I've had this one for a while, but I don't use it. I'll give it to you."
Pharos took the pen and beamed. "Thanks! This notebook and this pen are very special because you gave them to me. I'll take great care of them! Now I have a notebook to use at school after I'm freed from the Dark Hour!"
Minako was both amazed and relieved that Pharos seemed to cheer up because of such simple presents. At least he got his focus away from the fact that he hadn't been able to enjoy the festival with everyone.
"Ah, Minako, speaking of school, have you finished your summer break homework?"
"No, not yet."
Pharos clasped his hands. "Then let me help you!"
"Okay." Minako agreed.
"Can we do it now?" Pharos seemed excited.
Minako's face scrunched up. Pharos wanted her to do homework at Dark Hour after coming back from a summer festival, seriously? "No. I'm tired. We can do it tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah!" Pharos produced a lot of imaginary music notes.
They talked a bit more, then Pharos left.
A/n: even though I have no plans for Mr. Edogawa for this fic, I've always thought that he knows something about the Persona-related supernatural phenomena. I'd been suspecting this since Persona 3, and my suspicions became even stronger in Persona 4 when he tells the story about Izanagi and Izanami, only for it to become an important plot point later on. Some of the things he says are too relevant to be just a coincidence. So, I still think he knows more than he lets on.
Mitsuru's scene at the festival gave me an idea for a crack pairing thing. Mitsuru and Theodore! Both are very formal, and both are unfamiliar with certain society customs. It'd be very funny to have those two in misadventures together! I won't use this idea in this fic, though. Anyone up for doing a take on it? :P