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 17: Carpe Diem
"Pharos-kun...?" Minako groggily opened her eyes, and realized it was morning. She glanced around sleepily. Pharos was nowhere to be seen.
"Farewell, my dearest." Came the faint recollection, and Minako snapped fully awake.
He had really left. Minako couldn't help but worry. What if the changes in this timeline meant that he wouldn't reappear as Ryoji?
Minako joined everyone for breakfast.
"Good morning, Minako-san." Aigis greeted her. "Even though it isn't spring yet, this morning is quite pleasant, don't you think?"
Those words brought a smile to Minako's face. "Ai-chan..."
"Everyone remembers now. And Takeharu-san is safe as well. This is why I think it's a pleasant morning."
"Ikutsuki's death is already on the news, too." Fuuka pointed at the newspaper Mitsuru was reading. "It says he attempted to assassinate the president of the Kirijo Group, then committed suicide."
"The Kirijo Group, always so quick to come up with cover-up stories for this kind of stuff, huh?" Junpei observed. "By the way, Mina-tan. Where's Pharocchi?"
"I don't know. I think he left. I tried to convince him to stay, but..." Minako voiced her worry. "What if he doesn't come back as Ryoji-kun?"
"I believe it'll be fine," Aigis said. "I ran into him in the middle of the night, and we talked a bit. I tried to convince him to find a way to help us, and he seemed to be considering it."
"When did Ryoji-kun come to our school the other time, again?" Yukari asked.
"It was on November 9th." Aigis answered. "I suggest waiting until that date. We should worry only if he doesn't appear by then. I'm not sure about the extent of the changes in this timeline, and can't tell whether he'll decide to reappear as Ryoji-kun, or perhaps another form. I'll let you know if I detect his presence somewhere else."
Everyone agreed to do as Aigis suggested. There was nothing they could do at the moment. For now, they would simply enjoy their well-deserved breakfast.
Junpei was talking to Minako on the way to school. "We managed to save Aragaki-senpai, and also Kirijo-san. Now we just need to save Chidori! Hey, Mina-tan. Remember the other timeline, when Chidori told me to not visit her ever again?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"You had told me to visit her anyway, but, uh..." Junpei fiddled with his cap nervously. "I freaked out and stopped visiting her."
"What?" This was news to Minako. Junpei had never told her about this.
"Yeah. I felt really bad for this later. She needed help to see the light in her life, and I was the only one she had opened up to. I kept thinking that if I had been by her side more often, things could've turned out differently. And now, it's my chance. Even if she tells me to stop visiting her, I won't falter. I need to be there for her, and it's what I'll do."
"Here's to hoping things will turn out better this time around." Minako smiled to encourage him. "I'll be cheering you on, Junpei 4.0."
... ... ... ... ...
After school, Minako went to the Velvet Room. She gathered all the required Personas from her compendium, and fused Thanatos, the ultimate Persona of the Death Arcana. The Persona that symbolized her bond with Pharos.
"Oh! How interesting!" Igor exclaimed as the new Thanatos card manifested. "Now the reason why this Persona had vanished from your compendium became clear. There is the fact that you chose to renew the bond, and the previous version of the Persona would not represent this new bond accurately. However there is also another factor."
"Another factor?"
"Yes. Despite it having grown inside you, and you being able to summon it if you so choose, this is actually not your Persona."
"Not my Persona?" Minako gasped. "Then, you're saying this is Pharos-kun's Persona!? He turned out to have one, after all..."
"Exactly. As he spent time inside you, his sense of identity changed and gave birth to a Persona. However, he was not supposed to have a Persona, and his weakened form lacked the means to develop one on his own. This resulted in his Persona developing inside you, alongside your new bond. Now that his power is fully restored, he has the means to wield it properly if he so wishes."
Then, Minako had not only raised Pharos, but also his Persona. "What should I do now?"
"You should deliver this card to him."
"I will." She took the card and nodded determinedly. This was one more reason for her to meet him again.
Aigis' words kept nagging at Pharos, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find any way to avoid the Fall. It was fate. There was no escape. This was his conclusion.
Pharos wandered in a non-physical form and tried to distract himself. He took his time observing people walking to and fro on the Iwatodai streets. How he wished he could belong there and be one of them. Sadly, he was perfectly sure that this would never happen. While he had no memories of his true nature, he had been happy. Maybe, if he could forget his true role for a bit longer...
Pharos was sure he could delay the Fall for a bit. If he didn't report to Nyx, it may take a while until she noticed his presence. Until then, he had some time to himself. Pharos had an idea. He would assume a physical form, suppress his memories and try to live among the humans for a bit. However, the next full moon would inevitably influence him and remind him of his Shadow nature, and it would be time for Minako to defeat the thirteenth Arcana Shadow - that she shouldn't know was him -, then she and her friends would forget everything. Once Pharos had reformed after his defeat, it would be the time he would have to fulfill his role, and the end would come. It was inevitable, but at least it would be a peaceful and happy ending.
He thought about his physical form. He wanted to go to high school, and a child form wouldn't do. Actually, he believed a child's appearance didn't fit him anymore. And he needed a new name, too, preferably a Japanese-sounding one - he had learned from his mistake. After some contemplation, he came up with a name. Ryoji Mochizuki. He thought the first name was cool, and the last name meant, "full moon." It sounded good enough.
During the Dark Hour, he pulled some registry office people out of their coffins and hypnotized them into fabricating documents for him. He had them arrange his stay at the boys' dorm, and also his enrollment at Gekkoukan High School. It was the largest and most prestigious school around, and would surely provide him with great experiences. However, he made sure to be assigned to a class other than the one Minako and some of her friends were in. The last thing he needed was to keep seeing her constantly and running the risk of remembering the harsh reality before it was time.
He also got money in Tartarus, then hypnotized some sellers into selling him clothes, a cellphone and a few other items - they sold items for a living and deserved to be paid for their services. With everything set, he went to his new room at the boys' dorm, and it was time to forget.
... ... ... ... ...
The alarm clock on the cellphone went off, and signaled the start of November 9th. It was Ryoji's first day at the new school, and he couldn't be more excited.
As he put on his uniform, Ryoji tried to recall what had happened the previous day, but stopped himself. The previous happenings didn't matter. All that mattered was the here and now. Carpe diem. Just live in the moment and don't worry about anything else, because there may be no tomorrow. This last thought caused him shivers, but he shrugged it off, and proceeded to greet his dormmates downstairs.
The day had come. November 9th. However, there was no announcement of a transfer student in class 2-F. Minako began getting worried. She tried to imagine possible explanations for Ryoji's absence. For all she knew, he might be late, or not transferring today, or... not transferring at all... she didn't like that last possibility. What if he didn't appear and she couldn't meet him again? How could she try to convince him to find a way to stop the Fall?
Classes went by, and no sign of Ryoji Mochizuki.
"He isn't here," Minako said out of the blue as they began leaving for lunch break.
"Yeah." Junpei didn't need to ask who that "he" was. "Ai-chan, time to officially start worrying now?"
Aigis didn't respond.
When they got to the courtyard, though, they heard people gossiping about a transfer student from class 2-B that was hitting on girls left and right.
Minako perked up. "That must be him, right?"
"Sounds like it," Junpei said. "Different class, though? So, is this why why he didn't show up in our class?"
"I'll take a look." Aigis walked away. Minako, Junpei and Yukari followed her from a distance.
Aigis approached the familiar boy who was walking with a carefree expression. "Excuse me. Are you the new transfer student?"
"Hm?" He turned to look at her. "Oh, hello. Yeah, I am! My name is Ryoji Mochizuki. What's your name?"
After a few seconds, Aigis answered. "My name is Aigis."
"Aigis?" He echoed. "It isn't really common, is it? Is it a foreign name? Hmm." He shrugged. "By the way, I'm sorry, Aigis-san. My schedule's already full today. I've already agreed to go out with Makiko-chan and Takako-chan and Shizue-san and-"
"This is not the reason why I'm approaching you." Aigis cut him off.
He blinked. "Oh. It isn't?"
"I had heard rumors of a new transfer student, and wanted to know who said person was. That is all."
He seemed a bit disappointed, but forced a smile. "You look like an interesting person, though. Well, today I'm busy, but maybe we can go out some other time! See you around!" He left.
Aigis returned to where the others were waiting. "He seems to have forgotten everything. He didn't even recognize me."
Yukari was clearly annoyed. "Is it just me, or is he even worse than before?"
"It's a relief that he's here," Minako said, but couldn't hide her disappointment. "Still, I can't believe he's hitting on girls left and right this time around, too..."
"He seems lost in his own world. Talking to him about the Fall is completely out of the question at the moment." Aigis concluded. "Let's approach him some other time."
"Maybe we can make him remember something," Junpei said.
"What if he doesn't?" Yukari asked.
"It was on the full moon that he remembered everything the other time." Minako observed. "If all else fails, we wait for the full moon."
Ryoji had a blast that day. School had been interesting, just as he had expected. After classes, he spent his whole afternoon hanging out with girls. He took one to a snack bar, one to a park, one to the movies - where he made sure to expand his pick up lines vocabulary -, and the last one to a restaurant - where he had his dinner. Back to the boys' dorm, he spent the rest of the evening doing his homework, and got ready for the following day.
The following morning, Ryoji changed into his uniform and was putting gel on his hair. But when he looked in the mirror, he startled. For a second, it wasn't his image that he saw, but the image of a monster wielding a blade and a shield made of coffins. Ryoji jumped back and closed his eyes in fright. When he hesitantly reopened his eyes and looked in the mirror again, his image was back to normal.
"Uh, maybe I'm not fully awake yet..." He awkwardly laughed to himself and shook the thoughts about that nightmarish vision off. Yesterday had been fun, and today should be fun, too!
One of the teachers was absent, and class 2-B got a Tarot class by Mr. Edogawa instead. Ryoji listened to everything attentively. The subject was nostalgic for some reason, and the more he heard about the Arcana from the Tarot, the more it seemed as though he was forgetting something important. But before any memory had time to surface, the class ended.
Ryoji spent lunch break asking girls out again, though only one of them accepted to hang out with him this time, to have dinner at night. One thing that bothered him was that while he was asking people out, he noticed a brown-haired girl with red earphones looking at him with an exasperated expression. Something about her felt familiar somehow. Ryoji wanted to ask her whether they had already met before, but gave up since she didn't seem to have liked him too much.
Classes ended for the day. Ryoji had his afternoon free since he only had plans to go out at night. So, he decided to check the school's clubs out. The music club piqued his interest for some reason.
"This club seems interesting. I don't understand anything about music, but can I join?" Ryoji found himself asking Keisuke Hiraga, the one responsible for the club.
"Of course!" Keisuke looked pleasantly surprised at the question. "I'm glad to hear you ask that! It's always nice to find someone interested in orchestral music. Many non-musicians tend to feel intimidated when they think about this kind of music and back away. I believe that music is something to be enjoyed by everyone, not by only those who can play instruments. I just want this club to be a place with a friendly atmosphere where all members can have an enjoyable time, be it by performing or listening. You are very welcome to join!"
Ryoji followed Keisuke to the music room.
"We've gotten a new member!" Keisuke announced and beckoned Ryoji to introduce himself.
"Um, I'm Ryoji Mochizuki. I can't do much more than listen while you all do your magic, but I hope to have a nice time here."
"Oh!" A green-haired girl gasped and glanced shyly at him.
Club activities started. The performers began "doing their magic," while the others sat down and listened. Ryoji sat next to the girl.
"What's your name?" Ryoji asked during a break between songs.
"... I'm Fuuka Yamagishi." She answered quietly.
"Hmm. Fuuka-chan? May I call you that?"
She slowly nodded.
Another song began, and Ryoji caught himself staring at Fuuka. There was something familiar about her, too. He wondered whether he should ask her out. Since he already had plans for tonight, maybe another time.
At the end of the session, they noticed that one of the performers wasn't feeling well.
Keisuke immediately rushed to the rescue. "What do you feel? Does anything hurt? Did you notice any other symptoms before? ..."
"Ah. Hiraga-senpai is in doctor mode again." The male club member to Ryoji's left sighed.
"Doctor mode?" Ryoji echoed.
"Yeah. Every time he sees someone feeling sick, he rushes to examine the person." The club member explained. "His father's an accomplished doctor in an important hospital, and Hiraga-senpai knows a lot about the medical area, too. Actually, practically everyone in this school agrees he's more competent than the school's nurse, Mr. Edogawa."
"Mr. Edogawa? The one who teaches Tarot and stuff? I thought his class was interesting."
"You're an odd one..." The other boy didn't seem to agree, and left Ryoji wondering whether finding Mr. Edogawa's lecture interesting wasn't supposed to be normal.
The SEES members were talking among themselves in the dorm at night.
Minako frowned in disapproval. "I saw Ryoji-kun hitting on girls during lunch break again today. The mere sight was so embarrassing! I didn't raise him to be like this..."
"Oh, today Ryoji-kun joined music club." Fuuka informed.
Yukari narrowed her eyes. "Did he hit on you?"
"Uh, no. He asked my name, and asked whether he could address me as 'Fuuka-chan,' but that was it. All in all, he behaved well."
"As far as I recall, he hadn't joined any clubs in the other timeline." Aigis observed.
"Why the music club, though?" Junpei asked. "Don't you think it's a weird choice? I mean, old orchestral music isn't for everyone..."
"Hmm." A thought occurred to Minako. "Now that I think about it, Pharos-kun had enjoyed that time when all of us watched the previous music club's recording in Mitsuru-senpai's room. He even told me he'd like to see one of the club's performances live once he got free. Maybe subconsciously he still wants to do it? If so, he might begin remembering things after a while. Let's observe a bit more and give him some time."
During lunch break the following day, a male student approached Ryoji.
"Hey, you're the new transfer student... Mochizuki, was it?"
"Yeah, Ryoji Mochizuki."
"I'm Kenji Tomochika. Nice to meet you!" The student grinned. "Just a couple of days in, and I've heard that you've gone out with quite a few chicks already. Do you prefer younger or older girls?"
"Hm?" Ryoji stopped to think for a second. "I don't care about that."
"Oh. You don't discriminate, eh?" Kenji laughed. "I prefer older women, because they're more mature. To me, younger girls are too childish. But to each their own, I guess. Anyway, I need some tips on getting chicks to go out with me. Mind sharing some of your techniques? Say, how 'bout we discuss this in depth after school?"
"Um, I don't think it's anything special, but I'd like to know of more hangout spots. Do you know any good places?"
"Yeah! There's this ramen shop that's just great! We can discuss techniques there. See you after school!"
... ... ... ... ...
After classes, Ryoji followed Kenji to the Hagakure ramen shop. They began talking as they waited for their food.
"So, Mochizuki, what are your secret techniques?" Kenji asked expectantly.
"Well, like I said before, I don't think it's anything special. I just approach the girls, comment on something or another, then ask them if they're free after school and if we can hang out."
"Seriously? Just that?"
"Yeah."
Kenji lowered his gaze in disappointment. "If you don't do anything special, then does it mean they just get attracted to you or something? If so, does this mean I simply don't have the charm?"
"No idea. Honestly, I think they should get curious to know you better, though. You seem to be a nice guy."
"Oh, thanks."
Ryoji's head shot up slightly. "Oh, wait. I think I've heard a girl say that she was interested in you, though..."
"S-seriously? Wh-who? When? Where...?"
"School. Where else could it be? Uh, but who...? I don't remember."
"Oh man." Kenji seemed to be trying hard to not get his hopes up too much. "Are you sure she was really talking about me? Wasn't it another Kenji? It's a common name. Or maybe another Tomochika..."
Ryoji racked his brain, but he couldn't remember the specifics. "Oh, I don't know. I had this strong hunch it was you, though..."
Their food arrived, and became the perfect reason for them to change their focus.
"Wow, this ramen is great!" Ryoji's eyes sparkled.
"Isn't it!?" Kenji grinned excitedly. "The ramen here's the best."
"The taste's kinda nostalgic, even though it's the first time I come here... I think."
"... You think?"
Ryoji laughed awkwardly. "I don't remember coming here before. But hey, maybe it's been a long time ago and my memory's fuzzy. Uh..." Ryoji tried to remember more details about the happenings before coming to Iwatodai, and... nothing. His past memories were totally blank. Ryoji was scared for a second.
"Whoa, man, you okay?" Kenji waved a hand in front of Ryoji's face.
"Ah!" Ryoji snapped back to reality. "I'm fine. Just spaced out a bit." He shrugged it off. "Anyway, thanks for bringing me here. I'm new to this city, and don't know of many places to hang out. I was kinda disappointed that I ended up taking two girls to dine at the same restaurant. Iwatodai's so big, and there's so much to see. It'd be nice if I could know a different place each day, and always have dinner at different restaurants."
"Hmm. I don't need anything more than ramen. So, I don't know much about other food places. But if that's what you're looking for, the Gourmet King may be able to help you."
"The Gourmet King?" Ryoji repeated.
"Yeah. He's also from our school, and knows all the food shops of this city. His name's Nozomi Suemitsu, and he usually hangs out at Paulownia Mall. He's a chubby guy, and is always sitting near the fountain and munching on a lot of snacks. You can't miss him."
"Alright. I'll look for him then. Thanks!"
... ... ... ... ...
The following day, after school, Ryoji managed to locate a chubby guy eating snacks in Paulownia Mall.
"Hey, are you Nozomi Suemitsu, The Gourmet King?"
The boy's attention diverted from the snacks for a moment, and he looked curiously at Ryoji. "Yes, that's who I am! ... So, what could a cool-looking, slim guy like you possibly want with me?"
Ryoji blinked. "Huh? What does that have to do with anything? I've just moved to this city. I want to know different food shops where I can invite others to hang out, and a guy from school told me you'd be the best person for me to ask! Would you give me a tour of Iwatodai's food spots?"
"Uh... sure."
"My name's Ryoji Mochizuki. Just Ryoji is fine. Nice to meet you." Ryoji reached out for a handshake.
Nozomi shook Ryoji's hand, and realized too late that his own hand was smeared with the oil from the snacks he had been eating. "Ah! Sorry!" Nozomi retracted his hand quickly.
Ryoji just laughed it off. "No problem! Where should we go first?"
Nozomi's stomach grumbled loudly even though he had been eating already. "Oops! This sounds like a tummy emergency! I'm down for some restaurant food. I suggest we go to Wakatsu first."
They went to Wakatsu Restaurant. Ryoji noticed the restaurant was accepting part-timers, and made sure to apply for a job.
After that, Ryoji and Nozomi went to an ice cream shop for some dessert, and then to Chagall Cafe for an after-meal coffee. Ryoji was marveled like a small kid in a candy store the whole time.
"Nozomi-kun, thanks for introducing me to these places. I not only learned of a few hangout spots, but managed to get a part-time job, too! All in all, this was a lot of fun! I hope we can hang out again!"
"Really?" Nozomi looked surprised. "Are you sure that someone cool-looking like you should be hanging around a chubby guy like me?"
"Huh? What's the problem with that? You're a nice guy."
"Wow, thanks." Nozomi chuckled in embarrassment. "You're nice too, Ryoji. Ah, you're so full of energy all the time, as though everything is new to you... I'm kinda envious. If I had this much energy, maybe I'd get a bit thinner..." He lowered his voice. "And maybe I'd finally become at least a bit like my little brother..."
"What? I didn't catch that last part."
Nozomi shook his head. "Uh, never mind."
"Okay." Ryoji didn't insist.
"Uh, if you want, there are other great food places I can show you. If we continue hanging out, maybe your disposition will rub off on me, who knows?"
"Sounds great! Then, I'll see you again at the same spot in Paulownia Mall another day."
... ... ... ... ...
That night, Ryoji attended his part-time job for the first time. Mostly, he enjoyed being friendly to the customers and was glad that they seemed to enjoy the food.
The following day, at school, Ryoji saw Fuuka talking to the girl with brown hair and red earphones. Once again he was tempted to approach her and talk to her, but he was hesitant to do so. Even though she seemed like a nice person, she always made a disapproving face whenever she looked at him, and this put Ryoji on edge.
After school, a very excited Kenji invited him to have some ramen again.
"Eat as much as you want. It's all on me!"
"You seem happy, Kenji-kun."
"Yeah! Something great happened, and it calls for a celebration! You see, there's this teacher, Ms. Kanou, who I've had my eyes on for a while now. Today, everything I've been doing to grab her attention finally paid off! I confessed to her, and she told me I can go over to her house and have 'private lessons!'"
"... Hmm?" Ryoji deadpanned. "So?"
"'Private lessons,' Man! This can only mean that she's interested in me, too! And now I can go to her house and spend nice moments alone with her!"
Ryoji couldn't help but think something was off. "Sounds good, but... if she says, 'private lessons,' does it really mean she's interested in you? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure! It's kinda like a code, you know?"
"Never heard that before, but if you say so..." Ryoji finally shook his confusion off and allowed himself to smile encouragingly at Kenji. "Good luck to you, then!"
"Thanks!" Kenji grinned happily.
Though Ryoji couldn't help but feel bad for the girl who had expressed interest in Kenji. She would be devastated if she were to find out...
... ... ... ... ...
It was nightfall when he met up with Nozomi. A trip to a new restaurant later, they ended up at Chagall Cafe again.
Ryoji and Nozomi ordered a mug of coffee and a piece of chocolate pie. When their order arrived and they were about to begin eating, Ryoji saw someone unexpected. It was the intriguing brown haired girl! She was likely working as a part-timer, and had just finished tending to a customer. She passed their table, and Ryoji finally gathered the courage to talk to her.
"Uh, hey." He waved to her.
She turned, and her expression became serious when she saw Ryoji.
"We're from the same school. I wasn't expecting to see you here!" Ryoji insisted on talking to her. "Ah, I'm Ryoji Mochizuki, and this is Nozomi the Gourmet King! He's introducing me to this city's food spots, since I'm new around here."
She seemed a bit worried for some reason. "That's good. I just hope you aren't embarrassing the Gourmet King."
"E-embarrassing me?" Nozomi was confused. "If anything, it should be the other way around... uh, you know, because of how I look and-"
She cut him off. "You haven't seen how he acts at school, have you? He goes around shamelessly asking girls out nonstop, in front of everyone, even girls who he's already asked out. It's quite disconcerting..."
"Wow, really? No, n-nothing like that has happened yet... though he's very energetic and outgoing, that's for sure."
"Well, fine then." She sighed, then looked sternly at Ryoji. "But people at school are already saying bad stuff about you, you know. You'd better keep your behavior in check." And she left.
Keep my behavior in check? Ryoji thought as he absentmindedly stared at the spot the girl had been standing a moment ago.
"Let's dig in before the coffee cools off!" Nozomi went for his chocolate pie.
Ryoji slowly ate his piece of pie. His usual enthusiasm had died. The things the girl had told them bothered him. People were saying bad things about him? Why? Ryoji was shocked. He thought he could get along with everyone he came across. Was he doing something wrong?
"Ryoji, are you okay?" Nozomi had already finished his dessert. "You barely touched your pie!"
"Nozomi-kun... is what I'm doing really that wrong?"
"I'll admit. I'm kinda envious that you can get the girls to go out with you! I couldn't see myself getting any... and doing it in front of everyone sure takes a lot of guts... um, but if you're constantly doing that, to be honest, I think it's a bit much."
"... Is it?" Ryoji could have never imagined that what he had been doing was wrong.
"Hey, aren't you gonna finish that?" Nozomi pointed at the nearly intact piece of pie on Ryoji's plate. "If not, I'll do it for you."
"Go on. I don't mind."
Nozomi did just as he said he would, then paid for their desserts and left. However, Ryoji remained there at the table, lost in thought. After a few minutes, he stood up and decided to talk to the brown-haired girl again.
He approached her as she was taking an order. "Um, you're friends with Fuuka-chan, right? I'm in the same club as her!"
"I know."
"You do? Ah, okay. Then-"
She interrupted him. "Would you be quiet for a bit? You're distracting me. I don't want to mix the orders up and get in trouble."
Yes, that would be bad. Ryoji didn't want to get anyone in trouble, and definitely not her, or she would dislike him even more. "Ah... sorry." He apologized awkwardly and backed away.
He still wished he could get along with her, though. He waited until her shift finished, then approached her again just as she was about to leave the cafe.
"You're still here?" She sounded a bit surprised.
"Yeah, waiting for you." A sheepish chuckle escaped Ryoji's mouth. He didn't know why, but talking to her felt really awkward.
She looked at him warily. "You'd better not be trying to ask me out."
Ryoji couldn't see what was the problem in asking girls out. He wasn't forcing anyone to go out with him. The girls who agreed went out with him of their own free will, which could only mean they liked it. He respected the decisions of the ones that refused to join him, too.
"I-if you don't want me to, then I won't."
"Then, please don't." She sounded serious.
"O-okay..." Ryoji didn't know what else to say. He still wanted to get to know her better, but could only stare at her in silence.
Minako stared back. Without his previous memories, Ryoji had been behaving like a total stranger, and it was hard to think they had gotten along so well until a few days ago. But now, his expression reminded her too much of the pleading look Pharos gave her when he wanted something but was hesitant to tell her what it was. Maybe Pharos wasn't completely gone, after all. This thought managed to reduce her wariness a bit.
"What is it?"
Ryoji's hand went for his scarf. He seemed strangely nervous. "I... um, I still didn't catch your name..."
"It's Minako. Minako Arisato."
"It's a cute name." He smiled nervously. "I'm sure I've already told you my name, but I just have to say it again. My name's Ryoji Mochizuki. Nice to meet you!"
He reached out for a handshake, though it wasn't really necessary. Minako had a strong sense of deja vu, and when she realized it, she was reaching her hand out as well. The moment their hands touched, everything froze and she heard the familiar sound of shattering glass.
"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 Fortune Arcana..."
A totally new Social Link. Another one she hadn't started in the other timeline. Minako hadn't seen it coming. She had ignored Ryoji in the other timeline, and hadn't imagined he could have a Social Link with her. Or rather, another Social Link. Technically, he and Pharos were the same person, and Minako had already formed the Death Social Link with him. Yet, there it was. He had introduced himself the same way as Pharos had done, with exactly the same words except for his name. They shook hands exactly like previously - except his hand wasn't cold this time -, and bam, same outcome. New Social Link.
Minako snapped back to focus, and noticed Ryoji also seemed to have spaced out.
"It's getting late. We should leave." Minako retracted her hand, and pulled Ryoji out of his stupor.
Ryoji quietly nodded and followed Minako out of the cafe onto the street.
Minako decided to make small talk, and ask a few things she was curious about. "So, are you enjoying school?"
"Yeah, it's interesting." Ryoji's nervousness was apparently gone. "There was even a lecture about Tarot! I didn't think Tarot was a school subject."
So, Mr. Edogawa had lectured Ryoji's class already.
"Normally, it isn't," Minako said. "But I find the Tarot lessons interesting, too."
"You too?" Ryoji let out a burst of cheerful laughter. "In the music club, when I commented that I liked the Tarot class, one of the club members said I was weird."
"We're in the minority. Most people dislike Mr. Edogawa's lectures."
"Is that so?" Ryoji seemed genuinely surprised, in that child-like innocence Pharos had accustomed Minako to. "But this means we have something in common, right? This is nice to know." He abruptly changed the subject. "Um, where do you live?"
"In the Iwatodai dorm."
"You're in a dorm, too!" Ryoji was excited again. "Another thing we have in common! I'm also in a dorm. It's the boys' dorm, though."
So, he was staying in the boys' dorm. Minako had wondered where he had been staying, but had never heard him mention it in the other timeline.
"The boys' dorm? Then, this means we have to split ways right now. I'm heading in that direction." Minako pointed at the street ahead.
"Oh... fine." Ryoji's excitement was gone, replaced by disappointment. "I hope we can talk more another day. See you again, Minako-chan!"
Hearing him address her that way sounded a bit off. It was not how Pharos used to call her. But again, it was the same way Ryoji himself addressed her in the previous timeline. She considered telling him to call her just Minako, but decided against it as he might get the wrong idea.
"See you." Minako nodded to him, and they parted ways.
Despite everything that seemed to have changed in his behavior, there were other things that didn't change, like his eagerness to learn more about the world. Minako couldn't deny it. Deep down, Pharos was still there.
A/n: sorry for having taken so long to update. I had been looking forward to this part so much, and didn't expect it'd be so hard to write. I had a lot of scattered ideas for this chapter (most of them involving pulling the Social Link characters from the male MC's route to interact with Ryoji, which I began doing here). But it's been hard to choose what to include and how to connect the events cohesively. Blame it on Persona 5. I've been so invested in P5 (now on my third playthrough) and got disconnected from the P3 characters even though they had been my favorites before P5 came out. Now I keep having P5 fanfic ideas, and practically nothing for P3. Hoping my P3 inspiration returns with the newly announced dancing game, who knows? *imagines Pharos dancing with Minako, and she spinning him around :3 (though I doubt it'll happen)*. Or Minako... dancing with Minato. Something like:
Elizabeth: Welcome to the Velvet Room. This time, we have quite an interesting guest. Minato-san, meet the female version of you from a parallel universe.
Minato: ...!?
Minako: Wow, you're a male version of me? Cool! You can dance too, right? I wanna see it! Show me your moves!
Minato: ... Whatever.
*Dancing stage begins*
XDDDD
As for "Guiding Star," though, we still have like three chapters to go. Hopefully they won't be as hard to write :D .
PS: I know I'm in the minority here, but I also like the Tarot classes... and Kenji and the Gourmet King (naive, gulible boys XD ).