Chapter Ten: Just another day...
May 11, 2009, After School
Gekkoukan High – Minato's POV
WEDNESDAY
I almost fell asleep in the middle of Mr. Ekoda's boring discussion. You'd think he and the Principal were twins separated at birth or something. Junpei, as expected, slept in his chair without a care in the world.
"Hey, Minato!" Kazushi approached. "You comin' to practice today? Ya need to get in some last minute practice before midterms, you know."
"Oh yeah, sure." I replied. "I... uh, need the exercise."
Kazushi tilted his head to the side and looked at me strangely. "What's wrong?" I asked him. He blinked. "Oh, uh I was just wondering why you have a bandage near your chin. Did you get in a fight or something?"
I sustained a cut near my chin when I hit my head against the monorail control panel the day before yesterday. Healing it with a Dia spell wasn't worth the bother, since I heal quickly anyway. "What? No. I just bumped my head into something..." Bumped my head into something? Brilliant excuse...
Kazushi shrugged. "I'll go on ahead, okay? You better not be late!" He said as he left the room.
"Bumped your head into something?" Yukari chuckled. "It was the best one I could think of! It's true anyway." I shrugged.
"If you say so." Yukari looked at the now snoring Junpei. "Are you going to wake him?"
"Maybe later." I said. "But of course, we can't be blamed if we conveniently forgot, right?"
Junpei suddenly snapped awake. "That's just mean, dude!"
"Oh, you're awake?" I smiled. "I thought you were planning on playing tag with some shadows tonight." Yukari and I laughed at Junpei's horrified face.
"Ah, whatever." He pouted. "I'm gonna go home and watch TV!" He stood up quickly and walked out of the room.
"You think he's mad?" I asked.
"Mad? Probably not. At least now he'll think twice before sleeping in class."
I laughed. "I better get to practice now. See you at the dorm."
May 12, 2009, Early Morning
Gekkoukan Entrance
As usual, the members of the dorm left separately on their way to Gekkoukan. Since I took my time at the dorm, I ended up paying for it by taking the prime time train. Even with my headphones on, I wasn't able to ignore all of the people around me. I didn't bother stopping to hear the daily gossip when I reached the entrance.
"Hey, Minato-kun!" Someone tapped my shoulder to get my attention. It was Yukari.
I removed my headphones. "Sorry about that. Good morning, Yukari-san."
"That's okay." She smiled. "I'm kind of used to it now. Anyway, did you hear the news?" I shook my head. "Mitsuru-senpai said that there have been fewer cases of Apathy Syndrome the last few days." She continued. "She it's probably because we defeated that Shadow. Wouldn't that be great if it was true?"
"Seriously?" I smiled. "That would mean our efforts paid off."
Yukari laughed. "I think so, too. It was dangerous, but I'm glad we did it." Then she smirked at me. "Hey, I thought saving the people was just another factor?"
Erk... Caught off guard. Honestly, Minato, you shame your family name. "I uh..." I stammered. "It was. Saving my own hide took precedence of course, but it's like hitting two birds with one stone. No, wait. That's three birds."
"Okay okay, if you say so." Yukari laughed. "But we shouldn't get carried away, though. Midterms start next week after all. I just hope nothing like that happens again until midterms are over." We talked about other random things as we walked to our classroom, not noticing the stares we earned from other people.
After School
Gekkoukan Gym
After classes ended, I decided to attend Kendo practice while I could. The workout tired me but it was fun.
"Hey, Arisato-kun." One of the members approached me during our short break. "What's with the bandage on your chin? You get in a fight with someone?"
Another member overheard his comment and laughed. "Maybe he pissed Akihiko-senpai off. You guys live in the same dorm, right?"
I sighed. "I just bumped my head into something."
"Yeah. Akihiko's fist!" The first member joked.
The idle chatter was interrupted by a yell. "GET BACK TO WORK! We have to win the regionals this year so stand up and TRAIN!" Yuko shouted.
"Man, Yuko can be such a slave driver..."
The team continued with the harsh workout bolstered by Yuko's encouragement. Hey, where's Kazushi? The future team captain could not be seen anywhere. After practice, I decided to go home.
"Minato!" A voice yelled when I reached the school's front gate. It was Kazushi. "I-I was just goin to sneak into practice..."
"Where'd you go?" I asked.
"My mom kept bugging me, so...!" He seemed troubled. "I went to the hospital... after I told her about my knee, she insisted. She made me this appointment without telling me, so there was nothing I could do!"
"What did the results say?" I asked.
"Oh, I don't know!" I was taken aback by his reaction. "I-I appreciate your concern man, but... they took X-rays today, I'll know the results later. I have no idea why they didn't tell me today." He looked away. Then he glanced at me. "But hey! Don't tell anyone about this okay? Thanks."
Kazushi started to walk towards the school. Then he stopped. "Oh wait. Since you're here already, that means practice is over..." He sighed. "Might as well go home... See ya later, man." He walked away. I sighed as I stared at his retreating back. What a predicament he's in, Master. I heard a melodic voice say in my head. Angel.
It's not that different from yours as well... If your Grandfather finds out about your activities here in Iwatodai, and with the Kirijo Group at that. He'll push me to finish my summoner training... Tch... Good luck with that, Master. Thanks... I'll just do my best to hide it from him then.
May 13, 2009, Early Morning
Gekkoukan Entrance
WEDNESDAY
"Did you hear the latest?" I heard a gossiping student near me. "Someone on the staff was hospitalized with some bad injuries. I heard the road suddenly collapsed, and the guy's car fell like, thirty feet or something."
The person the student was talking to gasped. "OMG! I never heard of anything like that before... Is this school haunted?" The other student nodded. "I know, right!... I think I should go to the nurse's office. I just felt a chill down my spine..."
I resisted the urge to laugh. "Hey! Listening to the daily rumors, huh?" Yukari tapped my shoulder. I smiled at the archer. "Why do you keep doing that? You keep appearing out of nowhere."
Yukari stuck her tongue out. "I don't appear out of nowhere! You just ignore everything around you when you have that on your ears." She pointed the headphones around my neck.
I just smiled and shrugged. "Okay, if you say so. And to answer your question, yes. I was listening to the daily rumors. They may not be a reliable source of info but it gives you an idea of what other people think."
The archer blinked. "Really? I never thought of them that way..."
"Of course, the speed at which they spread is annoying, too. Especially when the rumors aren't true." I shrugged. "In fact, some people are still congratulating me for beating Kazushi the day I joined Kendo..."
Yukari laughed. "Oh, people are just interested in you. Don't worry, though it'll fade soon enough."
"I hope so. I'm not comfortable with all this attention..." I muttered. The two of us looked up as the bell rang. "Oh, the bell rang. C'mon let's go."
After School,
Student Council room
I decided to attend the council meeting to make up for my rather long absence. I saw Chihiro as I entered the room, making me remember the awkward moment at the classroom corridor. I wonder why she acted like that. Hmm.. At least she doesn't look mad now.
"Is Odagiri absent today?" The student council president asked in the middle of our work. I looked around the council room. Hidetoshi wasn't around.
"Um...no." Chihiro stammered. "I think he's busy..."
I resisted the urge to groan as I wondered about the reason Hidetoshi was 'busy'. I once saw him arguing with some male students at lunchtime. The council member just didn't know the meaning of 'being subtle'.
"Busy doing what?" Mitsuru-senpai asked. I scratched my mouth to prevent myself from laughing.
"Busy playing Private DICK." One council member said out loud. Mitsuru-senpai blinked for a moment then she got the joke."Oh.. You mean what Fushimi was telling me earlier... I see. Well his intentions are good, so you can't really blame him."
She tried defending the Disciplinary committee member. "But I understand how you feel." Then she turned to me. "Arisato, you can go if you like. I don't mind... Sorry for all the drama." I decided to leave the council room since there wasn't much more work to do.
"So where's your EVIDENCE, smart guy!" I heard some yell around a corridor on the first floor. I ran towards the commotion to see what it was all about.
"There's no need for evidence. I know all about you. You were arrested for beating up a guy in the park who snitched on you, right?" Hidetoshi was saying as I arrived. Some students who gathered to see what all the shouting was about muttered.
"Whoa! He's at it AGAIN! That's the third guy he's accused today!"
THIRD? *sigh* Hidetoshi... I know you mean well, but can't you wait until people lower their guard?
"My boyfriend was so pissed he was accused, too. This guy's really asking for it." Another muttered. I tried to push through the multitude of students watching.
"Keeping quiet will not do you any good." Hidetoshi said. "If it's not you, then give me some names. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You have my word as a member of the Disciplinary committee."
… Are you serious? Maybe you won't, Hidetoshi. But with this much people around, the names will spread like wildfire. *sigh* I really have to tell you what 'subtle' means sometime.
"Shut up, asshole!" The accused student yelled, clenching his fist. I tried to make my way to them when the student drew his hand back. But he punched Hidetoshi before I was able to stop him.
"Hey! Cut it out!" I yelled before the student could hurt Hidetoshi further. I knelt beside him, his lip was bleeding. The punk walked away when he saw me.
"Tch! Don't think I'll just let this go!" Hidetoshi exclaimed. "Minato-kun.." He stood up, touching his cut lip. "You look like you want to say something."
"Hidetoshi, you need to lighten up."
He frowned. "... You think so?" Hidetoshi looked dubious. "Some people will lie and backstab you without hesitation if it's to their advantage. People like that are a menace to society. We shouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior, Minato-kun. As student council members, we should do something about it."
I remained silent, sensing that Hidetoshi had more to say. Most of the students gathered earlier had left already, seeing that the action was done. Some persistent ones remained though so I glared at them. They left quickly, getting the message.
"I know what people think of me." Hidetoshi looked away. "But those who carry out justice have always clashed with others. History has proven this to be true. So, let this serve as a warning to other offenders." He looked at me. "Minato-kun, you're a sensible person... You understand, don't you?"
I nodded. "You should do something about that lip, too."
He shook his head. "I'm going to get back to business. You should go home before it gets dark."
I sighed. "Hidetoshi..." The council member shook his head. "Don't worry, this is just ordinary paper work." Heeding his advice, I decided to get back to the dorm before it got dark.
Iwatodai Dorm, Evening
"I'm tired of studying!" Junpei disturbed the silence in the Lounge.
"How can you be tired of something you haven't even started?" I asked without looking up from my Math book.
"Whaat? Oh, this can wait for later! Let's go to Tartarus, leader!" Junpei pleaded. I looked up from the book I was holding. "I'll think about it."
"Haha! I knew I could count on you!" He laughed. "You're comin' too, right Yuka-tan?"
"We DO have exams next week, Junpei." She started, then she put the book she was holding on the table. "But heck, I'll go."
Junpei was ecstatic. "Oh yeah! Now were talkin'!" Then he saw me picking up a different book. "Wha- Hey! I thought you said we were gonna go to Tartarus."
"I actually said I'll think about it." I calmly replied. "But have you forgotten Junpei, that Tartarus appears only during the Dark Hour? We still have some more time until midnight."
Junpei's shoulders sagged. "Seriously...? Geez... You're such a workaholic."
Tartarus, Dark Hour
16TH FLOOR
There was some light surrounding the stairs but I was most surprised to see that the seal was still there. Elizabeth said this was supposed to be gone...
"Will we still have to continue from the lower floors?" Yukari asked me as I inspected the seal. I touched the stone-like ball on the top of the silver pole. It crumbled at my touch. "Oops." I said on impulse.
"Oh, I guess that answers my question." Yukari said. "Are you serious? It didn't crumble before... Eh, whatever. Let's just go!" Junpei exclaimed.
17TH FLOOR
"Something seems different." Mitsuru-senpai said through the connection. "Be careful. I'll try to see what's up ahead. Hold on..." After a moment she contacted us again. "Sorry. I'm experiencing difficulties, probably because of the distance involved. I need more time. I'll contact you again."
The three of us wandered around the new surroundings. Yukari even commented how creepy the purple faces on the walls looked like. The chessboard floor we encountered on the first block was gone. In its place was a floor made up of eerie designs. If anything was notable besides the overall purple theme of the block, it was the blood. There was more blood around than ever before.
"Shadows!" Junpei exclaimed as he saw two shadows around one corner. They looked like Muttering Tiaras... then the infuriating shadows launched a multi-target version of Agi on the three of us.
"Another multi-targeting spell?" I muttered. "And it's harder to dodge too. Senpai! Can you analyze?"
"Roger. I'll attempt to analyze the enemy."
"Yukari, heal us. Junpei, forget about using Hermes' Agi spells. Judging from their attack, they look like they can play with fire." I ordered as I summoned Angel to launch a Garu spell on one of them. Junpei finished the one I attacked with a Cleave from Hermes.
"Their weakness is Ice. And as Arisato guessed, they nullify fire attacks. The shadows are called Grieving Tiaras. They look like the Muttering Tiaras we previously encountered, but if you look closely, you can see that their... tiaras are brighter."
"Alright. Thanks senpai." I said and I shifted to Apsaras in my mind. "Bufu!" I shot myself with the Evoker and summoned Apsaras to finish the last shadow off. Once it was defeated, I asked Yukari to heal us before continuing.
"The shadows here seem stronger than before." Yukari observed.
"Well, since the scenery changed at this part of Tartarus, I guess it would be safe to presume that the shadows changed too." I replied before giving the order to advance. The three of us encountered more of the Grieving Tiaras around another corner.
"Hermes!" Junpei ordered his persona to cleave the nearest one to him. The shadow dissipated. Before the other two could react, Hermes cleaved another and the last one after that. "Oh yeah! Who's the man?" He posed as the shadows disappeared.
"Great going, Junpei!" I complimented him. "Let's get a feel for this place. I have a feeling those Tiaras aren't the only bad boys in town."
True enough, we encountered different shadows on the 18th and 19th floors. On the nineteenth floor, we encountered two of the shadows Mitsuru-senpai dubbed as the Soul Dancer. At a first glance, we thought that we were facing four of them. But on closer inspection, the Soul Dancer had two bodies with a floating heart for a head.
One of the bodies were dressed in a white Tuxedo, and the other was wearing a red gown. Hence, Soul Dancer, huh? Wonder where senpai gets these names from...? They were no match for the three of us however.
We had some trouble fighting two shadows called Phantom Mage. The trouble started when one of them casted a spell and Yukari suddenly fell, unconscious. "Yukari! Senpai, what happened?" I asked.
"She was hit by Mudo, a dark spell. Takeba was unable to dodge the dark spell so she fell unconscious. That is what happens when you get hit by Mudo or Hama, a light spell." Mitsuru-senpai informed me. "I apologize for not telling you this sooner, Arisato."
"Don't worry about it, senpai." I muttered as I looked around me. "Junpei! Did you hear that? Do all you can to avoid those dark spells!" I rushed forward, careful to avoid any dark panels suddenly appearing. One of the Phantom Mages swept around me, dodging my downward slash.
I turned to block its advance from behind and hefted my blade up for a counterattack. The shadow screamed and flew away. I was wondering why when Junpei called me. "Under you!" A dark spell was nearly finished around me. I sprinted outside the spell's range.
That was close... I can't attack them with my sword because the other will cast a dark spell if I stay in one spot for too long. Wait... what about if we moved faster? "CADENZA!" Orpheus and Apsaras flew around Junpei and me, healing us and making me feel quicker, I presume Junpei was too.
I dodged all the dark spells aimed at me and shoved the Gladius in the shadow's mask. Junpei did the same with the other. "Awright! We totally kicked their butts! That Mudo thing was a hassle though." I didn't respond and walked over to where Yukari was lying and knelt.
"Uh, hey. What're you doing?" Junpei asked. "She isn't sleeping beauty, you know. So kissin her won't work."
W-What? I blinked. "Just stand on guard, Junpei." I rummaged in my pockets before finding what I was looking for. I pulled Yukari's chin slightly, opening her mouth. "I told you man. Kissin' her wont do anything." I looked up too see Junpei looking over my shoulder. I sighed. "Junpei! I told you to stand on guard. And FYI I'm not going to do anything but put this Revival Bead in her mouth."
He chuckled his pervy laugh. "Sure..." I rolled my eyes. I put the Revival Bead inside Yukari's mouth before Junpei could say anymore. She does look cute when she's sleeping... or unconscious for that matter...
Developing crushes are we, Master? Apsaras blurted in my mind. Not you too. I think it's kind of cute, Master. It's a sign of maturity! Kind of... cute? I am anything but cute! Apsaras' childish laugh rang in my mind. Shut up, or else I'll fuse you when I stop by the Velvet Room later. Aw, but it's so fun being with you... And I get to fight too! Then stay quiet.
"M-Minato-kun?" Yukari muttered. "Why- why do you look mad?"
Has she been looking at me the entire time? I blinked. "Mad? I uh.. Just some annoying things in my brain." I tapped my forehead and stood up. "Heey! You lovebirds over there!" Junpei's yelled. I looked behind me and saw that he wasn't there. I saw him at the end of the hall we were in. "What the heck are you doing over there? I asked you to-"
"I know, I know. Stand on guard." He imitated my tone. "I just decided to give you guys some privacy. But there's a teleporter here too!" He pointed towards a part I couldn't see from my position.
"Privacy?" Yukari asked. I sighed and shook my head. "Don't mind him." I helped her up. "He just saw me giving you a Revival Bead."
I looked away as Yukari brushed dust off her skirt. "Revival Bead? Oh, I remember being hit with that dark spell." I nodded. "You went unconscious. Senpai says that's what happens when you get hit by that." I looked at where Junpei stood a while ago. "Are you okay, now?"
She nodded. "Yeah, thanks. We better go, or else who knows what Junpei might think." I sighed as we made our way to the teleporter. I saw the blue door of the Velvet Room once Yukari and I reached the Tartarus entrance.
Yukari promised vengeance on Junpei for leaving the two of us alone. Turns out that once he pointed the teleporter to us he jumped back to the entrance singing wedding tunes. Mitsuru-senpai ignored him however. After some deliberation, I decided against entering the blue door thinking I could always enter it at the Paulownia Mall.
May 14, 2009, After School
Gekkoukan High
THURSDAY
I walked around the second floor corridor idly, listening to 'Burn My Dread' on my headphones. I saw Chihiro outside the council room. Wanting to clear up the 'awkward' moment last time, I approached her.
"Minato-san... Um...About the other day..." The treasurer stammered. "I just sort of overreacted. And I err... I just wanted to say sorry. I-I get really nervous when I'm uh around people... especially boys."
… Hmm. I remained silent. "I-I know it's bad, Minato-kun. But I- I just can't help it..." She continued to stammer.
"But I'm male." I said, just to break the silence.
"I-I know! T-that's why I'm so nervous now..." She sighed. "Sorry, I wont be a very good Student Council member if I'm like this ... I have to try harder to overcome this phobia." She smiled and started to walk away.
I saw Kenji walk out of our classroom. "Hey, Minato! You pickin' up girls?" He asked once Chihiro was out of earshot. "You Don Juan, you! And I thought you liked Yukari."
"She's the student council treasurer." I sighed deeply. "As a fellow council member, I thought it wouldn't be too bad to get to know her. And how many times do I have to repeat? Yukari and I just live in the same dorm."
"Ah, whatever. C'mon let's go to Hagakure." He urged. I decided to come with him since I had nothing better to do.
Hagakure Ramen
"I'm so sick of this, dude." Kenji exclaimed as we were eating ramen.
"What, life?"
He laughed. "Life? You watch way too much reality TV... But yeah. I guess you can say I'm sick of life. I mean, wake up, go to school, listen to boring lectures, go home, eat ,watch TV, go to sleep..." He numerated his daily routine. Then he slammed the now empty bowl on the table.
"That settles it! I'm gonna get myself a girlfriend, Minato!"
"Good luck with that." You're gonna need it.
"Thanks, dude! Soon, I'll have a girlfriend, just like you!" He exclaimed, getting excited. I just rolled my eyes. "What makes you think I have one?" I muttered.
"I'm gonna go ahead with my secret plan, dude." He said in a low voice. "I told you right? I'm gonna go for a teacher. Ask her out and make her fall in love with me. Her name is Ms. Kanou, she teaches 12 grade ethics. I'm totally acing her class." Kenji was really hyped and went on and on about the teacher's finer points. "Don't tell anyone, okay? You're the only one who knows."
Kenji laughed. "I'm so excited. I gotta go home and devise a plan of attack!" He stood up and practically ran out of the restaurant. He forgot to pay again... Geez. Luckily, the ramen here is cheap.
Iwatodai Dorm, Evening
Junpei pestered me to go to Tartarus again. "You can study any time! We have to get stronger ASAP."
"We just went yesterday, Junpei. Hit the books." I sat on the couch opposite the council president. Junpei groaned. "Gimme a break..."
"How are your grades, Iori?" Mitsuru-senpai asked the bummed out junior.
"How are yours?" He started, then he remembered who he was talking to. "N-Never mind. I already know."
Senpai didn't even look up. "I'm currently studying college-level material, for your information." I snickered under my breath.
"Man, now I don't fell like doing anything at all." Junpei groaned.
I just grinned as I took out my own book and notes. Joining SEES seems like a good decision after all. Sure, there's the constant threat of danger but being who I am, it's nothing new. Besides, the company more than makes up for the threat...
May 15, 2009, Evening
Iwatodai Dorm
FRIDAY
I sat on one of the couches along with the rest of SEES. I sat beside Yukari. Junpei and Akihiko-senpai sat together on the one facing us and Mitsuru-senpai sat on the lone couch on my right. Of us five, Junpei was the only one reading a manga book.
"What does 'pan' mean again?" Yukari asked.
"Bread." I replied. Yukari thanked me.
"Hey, Mitsuru." The boxer caught senpai's attention. "What happens when you solve this, again?" The council president leaned over and scanned the boxer's calculations. "Hmm... You forgot to transpose this to the other side, Akihiko."
"Oh, right. I was wondering why it didn't add up. Thanks."
Junpei sighed audibly. None of us paid any attention to him. Is he really that lazy? "Hey Junpei, you wanna go to Tartarus, tonight?" I asked, just to lure him out.
The capped junior beamed. "Hell yeah!"
"Oh yeah, I'm sure we could go." I said, before Mitsuru-senpai could object. I glanced at her, signaling her to stay quiet. "But there's just this one thing I keep forgetting."
Junpei protested. "I just don't know how fast the earth spins." I lied. "If you can tell me, then..." The capped junior's shoulders sagged. "Oh, how fast does the earth spin, Yuka-tan?"
Yukari got my drift. "I was going to ask Minato-kun. But seems like he doesn't know either."
Junpei groaned. "Akihiko-san?" The boxer shook his head. Junpei looked at the council president. "Senpai! You should know. You're studying college-level doodah aren't ya?"
Mitsuru-senpai chuckled. "I must have missed that. What about you, Iori?"
"Whaa... Why are you askin' me?" He exclaimed. "I-I don't know. Minato! Why don't you just look at the book?"
I shrugged. "It's gonna take time. I'm a slow searcher, you know." I lied. "And coz' of that, we can't go to Tartarus."
Junpei thought for a moment. "Argh! Fine, I'll do it." He stood up, took his book and went up his room.
"That was kind of mean, Minato-kun." Yukari said, after a while. "But at least, Junpei gets to open his book. So, how fast does the earth spin?"
"Faster than sound." I replied. "Around 1,700 km/s. If he just tried to stay awake in class, Junpei could have known that..."
Author's Note: Okay, let's sum it up. This chapter isn't my best. But I had to close the gap between the midterms. And it's part of the story after all... Please REVIEW! And the next chapter is entirely third person POV. Midterms are up next chapter!
Team Status
Minato Arisato: Lvl 12
Yukari Takeba: Lvl 11
Junpei Iori: Lvl 11
Minato's Personas
Orpheus: Lvl 8
Apsaras: Lvl 8
Pixie: Lvl 8
Nekomata: Lvl 9
Angel: Lvl 8
S-Links
Fool: Sees, Rank 3
Magician: Kenji, Rank 3
Emperor: Student Council, Rank 4
Chariot: Kendo Team, Rank 4
Hermit: Maya, Rank 3
Strength: Yuko, Rank 1