Disclaimer: Neither Takeshi Yamato nor Xamusel own Kamen Rider Wizard or Persona 3. We only own the idea from the plot, and some of the OCs.
Takeshi Yamato: Hello, everyone!
Welcome to the fourth chapter of A Wizard in Iwatodai!
Yes, Junpei joined SEES before Minato and Yukari woke up. I figure, since they found him in the Dark Hour between 4/13 and 4/14, that gives them three days to test him out, and invite him to the group.
Anyway, in this chap, we feature the Note Swap, and then the first Tartarus run. Time to see Yukari in action as a Rider, as well as how well not one, but two riders do in Tartarus, along with a Wild Card. We also have some more Mitsuru/Nayuki for you all.
Now, let's see what fate has in store for the Wizard next! :D
A Wizard in Iwatodai
Story by Takeshi Yamato, written by Takeshi Yamato and Xamusel
Gekkoukan High School - Early Morning, April 18th, 2009
When Minato and Yukari walked to school together that morning, they were holding hands, causing everyone who didn't live in the dorm to wonder what happened to cause that to occur. In fact, the rumor mill was going crazy at the time, causing some pretty wild rumors to appear over the course of the first half-hour of school.
"You know you two are the talk of the school, right?" Nayuki said to them. "I can't believe how many different rumors I've heard over the past half-hour regarding you two…"
"Be quiet, please, Nayuki-san," they irritably said in sync. "We're not in the mood for being reminded of the rumors."
"Yeah… some of them can be pretty far off, I bet," Junpei said, having spent time with them getting Minato's things ready to move into Yukari's room.
"Too bad you can't just go over the PA and debunk the rumors," Nayuki remarked. "I mean, not only would it be pretty unbelievable to most people, I'd imagine the faculty wouldn't like you hijacking the PA like that."
"Besides, the truth can be pretty far out there, in comparison to some of the rumors," Minato supplied, getting the attention of the other two from the dorm.
"Wait… you'll tell us the truth later, right?" Junpei asked, hoping for a good answer from this.
"Tonight," Yukari remarked. "We'll definitely tell you everything, but we'll need to wait for tonight… though trust me when I say that the truth is much stranger than fiction."
"We'll hold you to that, Yuka-tan," Junpei said.
"Could you please call me 'Yukari-san' in the future, Junpei-san?" Yukari asked.
"Huh?!"
The magic rings, the Wizard Rings.
(A red magic circle appears over a black background. Four lights appear at the main corners of the Circle, from which appear the Flame, Water, Hurricane, and Land Style Rings.)
They shine on both hands of the modern mage.
(The Rings float in different directions, Water, Hurricane, and Land going off the screen as Flame lands on Nayuki's left middle finger as she appears silhouetted in front of the magic circle, Driver On Ring on her right middle finger)
As she changes despair into hope.
(A close-up image of Nayuki's head and shoulders, still silhouetted, as the helmet and upper outfit of Wizard Flame Style super-impose themselves over her form.)
(BGM: Life is SHOW TIME [TV Version])
Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! (Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)
(Wizard Flame Style does a few spins in various positions relative to a red magic circle on a white background, before appearing on Winger WizarDragon, which flies off the screen before WizarDragon flies back onto the screen, lobbing a fireball from its mouth before the flash resolves into the title logo.)
Maru de tsuki to taiyou (It's like the shock)
(Nayuki is seen standing atop the Iwatodai Dorms building, overlooking the whole town, before the scene shifts to a solar eclipse, then to Wizard Flame Style spinning to face her right, and finally to Nayuki spinning to face her left.)
Kasanaru toki no shougeki (When the moon and the sun collide!)
(Nayuki stands in the middle of a crowded street, head down, before raising it somewhat to look at a boy in a style similar to that of a jailbird, who looks up to reveal Pharos.)
Dare datte kiseki shinjite mitai (Everyone wants to believe in a miracle)
(Pharos lifts his right hand up, the back of it facing Nayuki, and the screen shifts to show them reaching for each other's hand, before it shows them walking across the street to each other, Mitsuru appearing on Pharos' side, Minato showing up on Nayuki's side.)
Kitto hitotsu you fukaketsu no ENAJI kokoro no da ne (The indispensable energy that people need comes from the heart)
(The background shatters, before Mitsuru drives up on her own motorcycle, pulling off her helmet before brandishing her rapier and Evoker. Minato then appears, a silhouetted image of Thanatos behind him. Pharos and Nayuki appear in front of a Velvet Doorway.)
Yume to yosou ii imi de uragitte kureru mono (Dreams and expectations will betray you in a good way)
(Yukari Takeba is seen looking through a tome of magic, while a magic ball shows Nayuki transforming into Kamen Rider Wizard, the ball being held by Pharos.)
3! 21! 1! Showtime!
(The scene shows Pharos' immediate area glowing in light.)
Magic Time!
(Wizard Flame Style is seen in front of a building, jumping and spinning in place.)
TRICK ja nai! (It's no trick!)
(Wizard Flame Style lands on the ground, lifting her right hand to her mask, before lowering her arm.)
Mahou HIIRO hanpa nee ze (The Magic Hero is no pushover!)
(A red magic circle appears under her feet, with three separate magic circles, red, blue, and yellow, underneath the Red Garuda, Blue Unicorn, and Yellow Kraken PlaMonsters respectively, before Wizard Flame Style spins around and sends her familiars out.)
Mo-to halelujah
(Wizard Flame Style crushes a card in her hand, as Tsukuyomi appears behind her.)
Kioku no roots moguri-konde kibou sukui-dase (Dig into the roots of memory and save that hope!)
(Wizard Flame Style leaps through a blue magic circle to her right, becoming Wizard Water Style, then leaps up through a green magic circle to become Hurricane Style, then drops down through a yellow magic circle to become Land Style.)
Show Time!
(Nayuki and Pharos reach for each other's hands and grab them.)
Life is showtime! Tobikiri no (Life is Showtime! It's exhilerating!)
(Wizard Flame Style is seen falling through magic circles.)
Unmei to RAIFU mucha shite mo (Even if you're reckless with fate and life!)
(Wizard Flame Style is riding Machine Winger down a road, as WizarDragon flies up alongside. Machine Winger and WizarDragon combine to form Winger WizarDragon, with Nayuki still riding.)
Mo-to halelujah
(Back with the close up on Nayuki and Pharos' hands, as Nayuki moves the Hope Ring towards Pharos' finger.)
Kinou, kyou, ashita, mirai (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and in the future…)
(Nayuki, Minato, Yukari, and Mitsuru are in the Iwatodai dorm, each doing various things. Their positions switch two times, with each switch showing a new set of activities.)
Subete no namida wo (…all those tears…)
(Nayuki is riding Machine Winger, Mitsuru riding behind her.)
Show Time!
(Nayuki finishes sliding the Hope Ring onto Pharos' finger, the ring beginning to light up.)
Kouseki ni kaette yaruze (…I will change them into jewels!)
(Wizard's four main Styles come into view, Flame in the center, Water from the right, Hurricane from above, and Land from the left. The four pose identically as Water, Hurricane, and Land turn into light and merge with Flame.)
Maji ka? Maji de? Maji da! Showtime! (Seriously [it's magic]!? Really!? I'm serious! Show Time!)
(Brief shot of Nayuki holding up her left hand with the Flame Style Ring on it, followed by Wizard Flame Style doing a brief spin and posing in front of Machine Winger, the story logo once again flaming into existence in the foreground.)
Chapter 4: Going Up?
Kirijo Dorm, 4th-Floor Command Room - Evening, April 18th, 2009
School had gone normally aside from all the rumors, and now everyone who lived in the Dorm was in the Command Room on the fourth floor. Ikutsuki would likely have been there, as well, but he'd said he'd been too busy to be there in person, and the vid phone link was unreliable enough that he likely would only have heard part of it.
"So… now that we know more on the situation," Akihiko said, "we should prepare for more meetings with this Philemon character."
"Yeah," Nayuki remarked. "Keep on the lookout for glowing blue butterflies - if one shows up, Philemon likely wants to talk to you." She then turned to Yukari and Minato. "Still a bit hard to believe that he sent you two to another universe for over a year while your bodies slept in this one for a week… Then again, as you said, truth is stranger than fiction."
"Plus," Minato said, getting the attention of those gathered. "Yukari and I became parents over there… to twins."
A moment of silence, and—
"Are you shitting us?!" Junpei roared.
"Nope," Yukari answered, shaking her head at the same time.
"Jeez," Nayuki remarked. "What, should we book a church or shrine for you, and send you shopping for wedding rings?"
"That…" Minato started to say, only to pause in mid-sentence. "…might not be such a bad idea. It sounds doable, right, Yukari?"
"Yes, indeed, Minato," Yukari answered.
Nayuki sighed. She'd intended that as a bit of a snark, but… oh well. "What do you think, Mitsuru-senpai?" she asked Mitsuru. "Know any good places for that?"
"Not off the top of my head, no," Mitsuru answered. "However…"
"What am I missing out on?" Ikutsuki asked from the vid phone link.
Turning to face the phone, Akihiko said, "Nothing important. We're just getting to the recruiting process now."
Minato's eyes blinked a bit, before asking, "Recruiting process?"
"We want you to officially join us," Mitsuru replied. "You know about the Shadows, and how much of a threat they are, and the Phantoms are likely going to be a threat as well."
"Where there's one there's usually more," Nayuki agreed, "either other Phantoms they've made, or, if a group were made all at once, they might work together to increase the productivity of their efforts."
"We need all the help we can get, Minato-san," Mitsuru replied. "Please, lend us your strength."
Minato took a bit to think about it, before saying, "Alright. I'll do it."
"Welcome aboard, Minato," Yukari said, before kissing him.
Minato returned the kiss, and was about to perform a literal tongue-twister—
"This is not the time to give us a show, you two," Akihiko reprimanded them.
—when they were reminded of their situation.
"S… sorry…" Yukari replied as they parted, blushing fiercely.
"…Anyway, now that that's settled, what do we do next?" Nayuki asked. "Do we keep going on patrols?"
"Now? Now we can get to explore that place," Akihiko answered.
"'That place'?" Minato asked.
"Tartarus," Mitsuru replied. "It only appears during the Dark Hour."
"'Tartarus'? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste," Junpei commented, not having heard this part of the explanation.
"You can think of it as a Shadow Nest," Akihiko remarked. "And it's the perfect place for us to train."
"Oh? How do we train in this 'Shadow Nest', senpai?" Minato asked, intrigued.
"We head over there before the Dark Hour, and enter once the time starts," Mitsuru answered.
"So…" Junpei started. "Where's Tartarus?"
Gekkoukan High Front Gate - 11:59 PM, April 18th, 2009
"This is it?" Junpei asked, as they waited outside the front gate. "This is the place?"
"Just give it a bit of time, Junpei-san," Akihiko answered, holding his cellphone out to see the time. "It's almost midnight, anyway."
In a few seconds, the clock switched to midnight, and the Dark Hour started. Almost immediately, a rumbling could be heard as the school… warped.
In less than a minute, the school had changed into a massive tower that stretched into the heavens - high enough that Nayuki lost sight of it in the clouds.
"…what?" Minato, Yukari, Nayuki and Junpei all asked as one in deadpan.
"Just like the old tower of long ago, right?" Akihiko asked, not knowing if they'd get the reference.
As it turned out, only Junpei got it right off. "You mean that tower that got mentioned in the Christian Bible?" he asked. "…what was it called again? Babel, or something like that?"
At that point, the others got it, as Akihiko said, "Good job, Junpei. You got it in one… the Tower of Babel, said to be built to reach Heaven, only to fall short when Mankind lost their ability to understand each other right off."
"Still, this is a little… nuts," Minato remarked.
"No kidding… and it returns to normal after the Dark Hour fades?" Nayuki asked.
"Yes," Mitsuru replied. "So far, we don't know what happens if someone is inside the tower when that happens…"
Everyone else winced at that, even Akihiko. "Even after all this time, Mitsuru, that's not a pleasant picture," Akihiko said painfully.
"Agreed," Nayuki remarked. "Still, we need to explore this thing, right?"
"Indeed," Mitsuru nodded, before opening the gate to Tartarus.
Soon enough, the whole group went to the first floor of Tartarus, while they decided to look around for a bit.
"Definitely a weird place," Nayuki remarked. "And this is just the entrance?"
"Yes, it is," Akihiko answered. "Still, we need someone to lead the group going up the stairs to Tartarus's top floors, so…"
"For real?" Junpei asked. "One of us?" He then started bouncing around excitedly. "Oh! Me! Meme! Memememe! PICK ME!"
"Minato can do it," Yukari offered, getting everyone else's attention.
"Uh, Yukari—"
"Good idea, Yukari-san," Akihiko said, interrupting Minato. "I was about to appoint him, anyway."
"Wait, what?!" Junpei questioned. "Waiwaitwaitwait, why him?! He doesn't look much of a leader type!"
Clearing her throat, Yukari said, "We both have seen conflict against monsters, and come out on top… and we have the ability to summon our Personas in the blink of an eye. Minato, unlike myself, is a natural leader."
Nayuki raised an eyebrow. "I'm definitely looking forward to seeing that," she remarked. "And Yukari-san, I'm looking forward to seeing how well you do with your Magic."
"Thanks, Nayuki-san," Yukari said with a bow. "Now you'll see how I, Kamen Rider Sage, can handle myself in a fight against Shadows with my abilities."
"Sage… interesting name for yourself," Nayuki remarked. "Well, we might as well get ready." She donned her Driver On and Flame Style Rings.
"Right," Yukari said, donning her Driver On Ring and a Ring that looked like the head of a Triceratops.
"DRIVER ON, PLEASE!" the Drivers chorused in unison as they went into active mode, and were then switched quickly to left hand input. "SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN! SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!"
"Henshin!" the two Riders called in unison, placing their rings over their Drivers.
"FLAME, PLEASE! HII! HII! HII, HII, HII!" the WizarDriver called as Nayuki donned her Flame Style battle suit.
"TRICERATOPS, PLEASE!" Yukari's SageDriver called, starting Yukari's transformation as a pink Magic Circle appeared above her and descending, her outfit forming as it passed over her. The outfit was in the form of a pink and dark red color scheme, with pink on the inside of the dark red coat, in the starting form that looked like a typical Kamen Rider outfit… only with protrusions that looked like they belonged to a Triceratops. The protrusions were in the same position that a regular Triceratops would have its horns and the back of its head that protected the neck.
Nayuki looked over Yukari's pink and dark-red outfit. "Nice… Triceratops, huh?" she asked. "Interesting…"
"Thank you, Wizard," Yukari said with a nod.
"You're welcome, Sage," Nayuki said.
"Alright then," Minato remarked. "Now that we're all ready, let's get started." With that said, the group moved towards the stairs, with Mitsuru staying behind to provide outside support.
Nayuki, turning to look at Mitsuru, asked, "Aren't you going to come with us?"
"Not today, unfortunately," Mitsuru answered. "In fact, until we can get someone who can provide dedicated outside support, I'm the one who has to do it… outside of my specialty."
"Oh, I see," Nayuki said. "Want me to keep you company?"
"No, not during this period of time," Mitsuru replied, shaking her head. "You just go on ahead, Kinomoto."
"Alright," Nayuki replied. "See you when we get back, Mitsuru-senpai." She smiled underneath her helmet, then turned back around and joined the rest of the group.
Partway to the stairs, though, Minato noticed something to his left. "What the…?" he asked himself, even as he walked over to investigate, seeing…
"A doorway on the ground floor?" he asked aloud. Moving his hand to open the door, he noticed it was locked, so he was about to give up on it when…
"Hm? Wait a minute…" He then pulled out a key that was in his pocket. Attempting to unlock the door with that key, he succeeded, going inside the doorway.
The Velvet Room
Minato found himself back in the Velvet Room, and walked over to sit in the chair across from Igor.
"I've been waiting for you," Igor remarked. "The time has come for you to wield your power."
"You mean the power to summon multiple Personas, right?" Minato asked. "I have access to Orpheus and Thanatos, currently."
"Precisely… wait, hold on," Igor said. "You have access to Thanatos? This early?!"
"Well… being gone for over a year helps that matter out," Minato answered.
"Oh, right…" Igor said. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well… you currently have access in the Sea of your Soul to about 178 Personas, including Orpheus and Thanatos. You do not have access to all of them right away, but when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp… But no matter. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly… be sure to keep that in mind."
"Alright," Minato replied.
"My spare time will soon be scarce," Igor continued. "But please, come again of your own accord. I'll tell you then about my true role… the manner in which I can best assist you."
"Thank you," Minato replied.
"You are welcome, young man," Igor remarked. "And until then… Farewell."
Minato then left the Velvet Room.
Tartarus, Entrance - Dark Hour
"Uh, hello? You in there, dude?" Junpei asked Minato, once the door was closed behind the latter.
"Did you just enter and leave the Velvet Room?" Yukari asked.
Junpei looked at Yukari and asked, "Velvet Room? What's that?"
"It's apparently run by a subordinate of Philemon's," Yukari explained. "Goes by the name of Igor, and only certain people can enter it, like Minato. I can see the doorway that leads to it, but likely only because of my Magic."
"Yeah, I can see it, too," Nayuki remarked. "Anyway, you ready to go, Minato-san?"
"Yeah, I'm ready," Minato said. With that, they entered the second floor of Tartarus.
Tartarus, Second Floor
Minato and the others, Akihiko included, were at a closed corridor, the door leading into what almost looked like the corridors at school, only all jumbled up and covered with blood.
"So, this is it, huh?" Junpei asked.
"I'd be shocked at the decor, but given that the school turns into this place, it makes a twisted kind of sense," Nayuki remarked.
"Some of the places we ran into in that other universe were creepier than this," Yukari added. "Still, I hope I don't get lost."
At that point, Mitsuru's voice came over the headsets they all wore, Nayuki and Yukari having put them in their ears before donning their outfits. "Can you all hear me?" she asked.
"Loud and clear, senpai," Minato answered. "Anything we need to know?"
"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out," Mitsuru replied. "My Persona is primarily a combat one, but it also does allow me to see the layout of the floors. Tartarus' structure changes from day to day, so outside support is crucial, much as I would like to join you."
"Right," Minato said, understanding what Nayuki learned earlier. "Well… let's get started, shall we, then?"
"Be careful," Mitsuru said. "I'm detecting a Shadow Mass in front of you by a few meters, so don't let it get the drop on you."
"We'll be careful, Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said. "Hopefully, the Shadow Mass won't hurt us that bad, right?"
"Let's try not to trigger Murphy, Yukari," Minato remarked as they silently advanced on it. "Instead, let's get the drop on it."
"Allow me," Nayuki said, using her Connect Ring to grab the WizarSwordGun. Shifting it to Gun Mode, she took aim at the Shadow Mass and fired, impacting it and causing it to split into a group of the blobs with blue masks.
"These guys are weak to fire, aren't they?" Minato asked, curious about that detail that he almost forgot about.
"Correct," Mitsuru replied. "Use Agi to defeat them, or Maragi, if you have it."
"Or, I can always do this," Nayuki remarked, opening the Hand Author on her WizarSwordGun and running the Flame Style Ring over it.
"FLAME, SHOOTING STRIKE! HII HII HII! HII HII HII! HII HII HII!" the WizarSwordGun called out as it was covered in flames, Nayuki pulling the trigger and firing fireballs at all the Shadows, destroying the Shadows with one hit each.
"Hey…!" Junpei pouted. "Leave some for us, next time, will ya?!"
At that moment, before Nayuki could say anything, a staticy sound was heard from in front of them. "W-what was that?" Nayuki asked.
"I dunno," Akihiko answered. "Whatever it is, it's not normal."
"Let's advance with caution," Minato ordered. "Could be anything, so let's be ready for it."
The group nodded, even as Yukari readied her own WizarSwordGun, and they slowly advanced towards the staticy sound. Upon arriving at the source of the noise, a giant Shadow Mass showed up, only…
"What's up with the mask?" Junpei asked. "It's blank!"
"Might need a bit extra for this one…" Nayuki replied as her Persona's Tarot Card appeared in her hand. "PERSONA!" she called, crushing the card, causing Tsukuyomi to appear before her.
When Tsukuyomi was about to swing its katana at the 'Shadow Mass', the swing stopped just mere centimeters away from the skin, making everyone wonder what happened.
"Foolish mortal…" the Shadow spoke up, shifting forms to reveal it was a being with over a thousand masks all over its body. "You honestly thought you could defeat me? Even with your current power set, you are incapable of hurting me!"
Tsukuyomi returned to within Nayuki's soul as they almost all gazed on the being with awe and a little bit of fear. "Wh… what are you?" Akihiko asked.
"Not what," Minato snarled, showing a great amount of deep-seated hatred towards the being. "The correct question starts with who, Akihiko-senpai, and I know just who it is… Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos!"
With a reverberating laugh, Nyarlathotep said, "It seems you remember me from your journey in the other reality, Minato Arisato. I'm impressed you retained your memories from that body… then again, this would have been something you'd share with Yukari Takeba, when you were ready to talk… Correct?"
"He told me all about his encounter with you, Crawling Chaos," Yukari growled. "We won't let you have your way."
"Oh? But I already have my way, Yukari Takeba," Nyarlathotep said. "In fact… this whole city has been under my influence ever since 11 years ago, when I moved the demons in, putting them under the guise of what you call 'Shadows'. 10 years ago, they started to bring about the end of the world on my orders, with the objective being that they needed to kill Humanity in one fell swoop."
"We will stop you," Nayuki remarked. "It may not be this instant, but we will stop your plans."
With another reverberating laugh, Nyarly said, "How can you stop my plans? They've been in motion for over 13 years, ever since I made myself a Persona, one to manipulate the Branch President of SEBEC with… and even brought about the end of the world myself 10 years ago, which would've left only Sumaru City active, if it weren't for the interference of my rival!"
"If you mean Philemon, he's helping us this time, as well," Nayuki replied. "And we will find a way. Count on it."
"Don't bet on it," Nyarly countered. "I'll take my leave, but only so that you'll die by some high-ranking demons I'll leave behind to kill you with!" With that, he vanished, leaving behind a group of demons that were out of the guise they were in before.
"Here they come!" Minato cried out, especially as they let out a loud and long howl, revealing them to be hell hounds of a higher order.
"WATER, PLEASE! SUI-SUI! SUI-SUI!" the WizarDriver called out as Nayuki switched over to Water Style, which would give her an elemental advantage against the Hell Hounds. She then summoned Tsukuyomi again.
"ISIS!" Yukari called out, summoning her new Persona that had changed from her original Persona, Io, over the course of her journey with Minato. Rather than a female figure chained to a bull's head, her Persona now resembled an elaborate statue of a female's head and upper torso, an elaborate headpiece wrapping around it, two horns sticking out of its head and holding a round object between them, and wings where its arms would be.
Tsukuyomi struck the Hell Hounds with a Mahama, as Isis unleashed a Magarula on them, as everyone else went to summon their own Personas.
"Wizard, normally, anything related to Hama or Mudo's an instant kill ability," Minato said, getting Nayuki's attention briefly. "However, it seems that Tsukuyomi can use the instant kill part on Zombies especially… everything else gets hit with continuing damage, should it hit."
"That's good," Nayuki replied. "Let's see how well water works on these guys…" She ran her Water Style Ring over the Hand Author on her WizarSwordGun in Gun Mode.
"WATER! SHOOTING STRIKE! SUI SUI SUI! SUI SUI SUI! SUI SUI SUI!" her WizarSwordGun called out as water swirled around it, Nayuki pulling the trigger to shoot blasts of water at each of the Hell Hounds… not doing that much damage, to be honest.
"Damn! Guess Water Style just doesn't have enough power to do much damage!" Nayuki muttered. "I wish that contract hadn't limited my access to my Dragon Styles… Water Dragon would likely be useful at this point."
"No use complaining over that now, Wizard," Yukari said. "Though, if you ask me, these guys might be weak to Ice instead."
"Ice, huh?" Nayuki replied. Her Blizzard Ring might work, but that was also likely restricted at the moment… "Anyone have any Ice attacks?" she asked.
"I know Ice attacks… they are categorized as Bufu-types," Tsukuyomi said to Nayuki, making her want to facepalm.
Refraining from doing so, she instead summoned her Persona and called forth, "TSUKUYOMI! MABUFU!"
The Hell Hounds were blasted with ice, which, when coupled with another Magarula from Isis, was enough to finally finish them off.
"Phew," Minato sighed, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Everyone alright?"
"No injuries, at least," Nayuki remarked as she switched back to Flame Style. "Now that we know our main enemy, though, we're going to need to do everything we can to derail his plans."
"Agreed," Yukari said, searching the demons for anything of value. "It'd be best to… what the…?"
"Yukari-san?" Nayuki asked. "What'd you find?"
"Why do demons have Japanese money on them? I found at least 50,000 yen on them!" Yukari informed. Upon looking at what items they might have, she said, "At least they have Beads… that's something worth full health healing. Not sure what the other items are for."
"We'd best be careful when dealing with them, then," Minato said. Taking a hand to his earpiece, he asked, "Senpai, are you able to direct us to an exit?"
"Yes, there should be an access point near you," Mitsuru replied. "It will allow you to teleport back to the lobby."
"Right," Minato replied. "We'll be back down soon."
As they headed out to find an Access Point, Nayuki remarked, "Might need to get in touch with Wajima tomorrow… see if he'd be willing to relocate here to Iwatodai."
"Wajima?" Yukari asked. "He's the guy who crafted all your Wizard Rings, right?"
"Yeah… helps that he also makes mundane jewelry," Nayuki replied. "We're likely going to need new Rings before all is said and done… and probably best if we called in the expert on making them."
Sooner than finding the Access Point, however, they found the stairs going up. "We're not going up this time," Minato said, brooking no arguments. "See if you can find anything on this floor, make your way to the Access Point, then head back down to the first floor!"
"Gotcha," Junpei replied. "See you all down there!"
With that, they split up, looking for anything they could find that might be of use, as they made their way to the Access Point.
Tartarus, Entrance
When they made their way to the first floor, Minato and his team walked over to Mitsuru, feeling a bit tired all of a sudden… well, three of them felt a bit tired, anyway.
"Man… I'm beat," Junpei said, feeling tired.
"Yeah… hadn't had this much exercise in a while," Akihiko said, feeling just as tired.
Nayuki would've said something about that, but stopped herself on seeing Minato and Yukari. "Hey…" she said, getting their attention. "Why aren't you two tired?"
"We've been through worse over the course of our journey than over the course of this trip," Minato and Yukari said as one.
"I'm not surprised," Mitsuru said, getting their attention. "Normally, the Dark Hour is more strenuous than the normal 24 hours in a day, but to learn that you two went through a lot more than that… I won't underestimate you two like that."
"Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai," Minato and Yukari replied in unison.
"In any case, we should get going," Mitsuru remarked. "The Dark Hour will be ending soon."
"Right," Nayuki replied, before smirking at Minato and Yukari. "We also need to plan a wedding for those two."
With a blush, Minato and Yukari looked at each other, unsure of how to voice their thoughts in that case.
Gekkoukan High Front Gate - 12:00 AM, April 19th, 2009
"Well… that went well, all things considered," Akihiko said to Mitsuru.
"Yes… though that encounter with Nyarlathotep… things aren't going to be easy…" she replied.
"Odds are he's somehow been involved in this from day one," Nayuki remarked. "We've got a lot to do if we're going to stop him, but I know that we can."
"Easy for anyone that hasn't faced him before to say," Minato said, shaking his head. "I remember how that battle last time went… it wasn't pretty."
Junpei turned to face him and asked, "What battle?"
Minato didn't answer right away, lowering his head for a few seconds, before he lifted it up. "Let's just say that the battle wasn't of this world, and leave it at that."
Junpei, despite his earlier brilliance, wasn't one to take the hint. "Dude, what are you refraining from telling us?!" he questioned Minato, about to step forward to grab his shirt collar.
Yukari reached out and grabbed Junpei's hand in a vise-like grip. "He doesn't want to tell you, Junpei-san," she remarked coldly. "Kindly refrain from pushing him on the subject." She then released his hand as she and Minato began walking back towards the Dorm.
Junpei stood there, slack-jawed, as he felt the glares on his person from the others. When he recovered enough, he stated, "W-what?! I was only curious about how that battle went…!"
With a shake of their heads, the other three said as one, "Stupei."
"Hey, no fair ganging up on me like that!" Junpei remarked as they followed Minato and Yukari back to the Dorm.
Iwatodai Dorms - Early Morning, April 19th, 2009
Nayuki was cooking breakfast for once since moving into the dorm, hoping to impress someone with her skill. It wasn't an advertised skill, but… it was one that she practiced in.
Ever since the previous night, she had not been able to get to sleep, mostly because, whenever she tried, she had this strange dream that seemed to be on repeat… and it wasn't fun. In fact, if she didn't know any better, she'd have thought it was prophetic.
The dream was of everyone from the dorm around her, dead, and Minato being held up on a doorway, still as a statue, chains keeping him from falling down. She was the only one left alive, so it seemed, to make sure that someone left a record of what happened.
She wasn't able to dream anything else, and it wasn't all that conducive to sleep. So, she figured she might as well do something while she was up.
She eventually finished preparing the breakfast, and began bringing it up to the third floor of the dorm - specifically, Mitsuru's room, as she knocked on the door.
"Who's there?" Mitsuru asked, sleepily.
"It's Nayuki, senpai," she answered. "I made breakfast for you… want to have it here?"
"Oh, uh, sure," Mitsuru answered. A few moments later, she opened the door. "Come on in."
"Thanks," Nayuki replied as she walked in, taking in the decor of the room. "You have a nice room, senpai."
"Oh, uh, thank you," Mitsuru said, unused to the praise that Nayuki was giving her.
"It is my pleasure, senpai," Nayuki said. "That is, if you're talking about the breakfast. If you mean the praise, then you're welcome."
"Both, actually," Mitsuru replied. "I'm… uh… not used to hearing praise quite like what you just gave, and for the food… well, neither Akihiko nor myself are very good cooks, so we often have to order take-out…"
Nayuki shook her head. "That doesn't sound fun…" she remarked. "I will admit I prefer Plain Sugar donuts over just about anything else, but I do know a few things about cooking other items."
"Oh? I think I should give it a try," Mitsuru said, taking some utensils for eating with. "So… itadakimasu?"
Nayuki nodded, unveiling her culinary project, which turned out to be pancakes and freshly made apple sauce.
"Certainly looks and smells good…" Mitsuru remarked as she took an exploratory bite… and her eyes lit up. "Wow, it tastes even better than it looks. Thank you very much, Kinomoto."
Nayuki rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh, come on, you'll make me blush," she replied. She then used her Connect Ring to grab some Plain Sugar Donuts from her room, and the two ate in companionable silence for a few moments.
After finishing their food, Nayuki asked, "So… what do we need to do with Minato-san and Yukari-san's homework?"
"Well…" Mitsuru said. "I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps we can get them to do it before tomorrow, when the next school day comes up, so that they aren't behind."
"Right," Nayuki replied. "Will need to be a full workday for them, but hopefully it'll work. Once they're caught up again, though, we can start wedding plans for them - definitely going to be unusual, getting married at their age, but after hearing about what they went through in that other world, I don't think making them wait to take that step in their relationship would be beneficial in the slightest."
"Agreed, Kinomoto," Mitsuru answered. "Now, what about you? Do you need more attention to your schoolwork, or is that not an issue yet?"
"I think I'm doing well in that regard," Nayuki replied. "Even with the occasional patrol, I think I'm up-to-date with my coursework. Will likely have enough time to start participating in clubs once they open up, if one strikes my fancy."
"Kinomoto," Mitsuru said. "Perhaps I can interest you in a club later?"
"Hoh? You're hoping to recruit me?" Nayuki asked. "Well, I have no problem with that, senpai… it just depends on the club."
"You'll just need to wait and see, Kinomoto," Mitsuru said. "It'll probably be for the better if you do so." Standing up, she said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to remind Arisato and Takeba to do their homework."
"Gotcha," Nayuki remarked. "Probably better if you knock, senpai - don't want to catch an eyeful if they're being… intimate."
Mitsuru blushed, but nodded.
Xamusel: Okay, this is an interesting update, all things considered. We learned that Nyarly is the one behind the Dark Hour, and we also learned that Shadows are disguised Demons, brought in by Nyarly itself. We also have the plan to give Minato and Yukari a wedding to look forward to… and even look back on.
Confused by how that's supposed to happen? Read the side story all the way through (and then some). You'll see more about it there… especially when it updates to show some extra info.
With all that's about to happen, the heroes are probably going to need all the help they can get, though… how soon will they get said help? You'll just have to wait and see.
Well, ja ne, everyone!