Disclaimer: DENMARK! WHY YOU NO WIN AGAINST GERMANY? *Ahem* I mean… I don't own Persona… or Atlus… or a winning football/soccer team.

Chapter 17

July 21st

I come from a long line of world-class detectives. World-class detectives are very good at understanding things. Which is why I tend to get a little bit irritable when something arises that goes beyond my understanding.

I think it goes without saying that I am not very fun to be around when irritable.

"I apologize for all the trouble." Ikutsuki started. After a lot of general confusion out in the forest, he had led us back inside the manor, promising to explain things.

"Everything is under control now."

I nodded slowly. "Okay, that's good. Under control is good. But do you wanna explain the girl without feet who may or may not be the combat machine you sent us out to capture?" Crossing my arms, I sent my best glare towards the middle-aged man.

Said man just sighed. "I think it would be best for you to see for yourselves. Come here, Aigis."

At Ikutsuki's summons, the blond girl from earlier reemerged. She had ditched the blue dress in favor of what looked like white and gold armor. Actually, the more I looked at her, the more… robotic she seemed. A red bow adorned her neck, giving the appearance of a schoolgirl. Her emotionless blue eyes swept over everyone before finally resting on Minato, who stood between Akihiko and me.

"This is Aigis." Ikutsuki said. "As you can see, she is a 'mechanical maiden.'"

She… is a robot.

Well, that explains everything. The great mystery is finally solved, and everything is crystal clear now!

"I am Aigis." The machine repeated as confirmation. "My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately."

"She's joining SEES? But-" My unformed question was ignored, buried under the disbelieving sounds of my teammates.

"No way… It's like she's… alive."

"This is unbelievable…"

"She's so cute… but… she's a robot…" Junpei's face was dusted a light pink color, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, wonderful. Cute robot, but I still don't underst-"

"Anti-Shadow weapons were created ten years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows." Completely ignoring me, Ikutsuki began to explain. "Aigis was the last to be made… And she's the only one that still remains today."

Mitsuru opened her mouth as if to say anything, but my irritation got the better of me. "Would someone mind explaining how Aigis can battle Shadows if she's a robot?" I practically screeched.

All eyes turned to me.

"I thought that the only way to fight Shadows was to use a Persona. I'm still not clear as to what Personae are… But I do have a middle school education, and I can define the word easily enough. It's an aspect of someone's personality."

"Um, Kasumi…" Someone – I wasn't sure who – started.

"Every science fiction novel I have read – and that's a lot – have been clear on one point; robots don't have personalities. Therefore, it can be assumed that 'Aigis' would not be able to summon a Persona." By the end of my little rant, everyone in the room had fallen silent. Nobody really knew what to say.

"That is incorrect." A single, flat voice rang out. It was the robot in question that spoke, removing her gaze from Minato to rest on myself. "I am capable of operating the Persona 'Palladion.'"

"Well. Okay, then. Thank you for explaining." I smiled. Though no proper explanation had been given, I have believed a lot more with a lot less evidence. One time, Naoto tricked me into believing our grandfather was secretly Santa Claus with only a shred of ribbon and a carrot. But that's beside the point. I was satisfied with the knowledge given.

"As I was saying," I think Ikutsuki was getting tired of interruptions. "She suffered major damage in combat and has remained in the lab ever since. After a while, the lab here fell into disrepair, leaving us to accept that she would remain inoperable. If Kasumi is to be trusted-" Here, he cut is bespectacled eyes to me. I widened my smile as way of confirmation. "-and she did not press any buttons, I do not know why she suddenly reactivated herself this morning. Well, I hope you all get along."

Fuuka stepped forward, seeming fascinated by the robot girl. "An anti-Shadow weapon with a will of her own… This is amazing!"

'Awesome!' I thought. 'I love understanding things… HOLD THE PHONE!' One last thing I didn't quite get pricked at my mind.

"Hey, wait…"

"Kasumi…" Yukari sighed, exasperated.

"I just wanna know why Miss Machine was being all cuddly with Mister Stoic over here. You're curious too, right?"

"Actually…" Frowning, the brunette turned towards Aigis. "It did seem like you knew him."

Aigis nodded stiffly and turned to stare at Minato yet again. "Yes. It is very important for me to be by his side."

"Well that's not creepy at all." I rolled my eyes.

Ikutsuki looked puzzled. "Hmm… Perhaps her identification system is malfunctioning… Or maybe she's still half asleep. This is quite interesting. Hmm… Well, I can ponder this later. Oh, I forgot to tell you all... You can participate in a wide range of recreational activities here. There's a tennis court, a pool table, even a karaoke machine. Would you care to hear me sing?"

"Um, I think you can take the awkward silence for a 'no.'"

Ping

Pong

Ping

Pong

I propped my chin on my fist as I followed the little white blur that was the ping-pong ball. Minato and Junpei had been playing each other for the past ten minutes, and I was growing bored. My fellow juniors appeared to be feeling the same, while Akihiko was absorbed in the blue notebook he was currently scribbling in. When I questioned him, I discovered it to be no more than a workout regimen and lost interest quickly. Aigis apparently didn't have the capacity to feel boredom, as she was still as entranced by the match as everyone else had been ten minutes ago. Mitsuru was nowhere to be found, the spoilsport.

Ping

Pong

Ping

"Ugh… Someone score a point already! Or at least do cool tricks or something to make this more entertaining."

Without taking his eyes from the ball, Junpei remarked, "Y'know, you don't have to watch us. There's other stuff to do. This place is huge!"

I shook my head. "No. I've invested ten minutes of my life into this game. I am morally obligated to watch until the end. But for the love of tomatoes, this is so boring!" I threw my arms up to demonstrate my utter frustration at this situation.

Minato glanced at me briefly, managing to hit the ball without looking. "Tomatoes?"

"Tomatoes."

To my right, Yukari stood up. "Play me in air hockey, Fuuka?"

"Um, okay." The two girls disappeared, leaving me alone with the boys and a robot, neither of which offered much conversation.

"Ya know, I'm gonna start commentating on this game in the most ridiculous French accent until one of you messes up." I decided. "Oh hon, and we 'ave Minato vith a hard spike, but Junpei isn't giving up zhat easily! Très bien, Junpei! Zhat vas a vonderful return! But Minato von't be out-shined! Zhey could keep zhis up all night long~! Ah, zhe sound of zhe pinging and zhe ponging reminds me of my 'ome in Pari'. Hon hon, Minato eez getting aggressive. Junpei vill 'ave to step up 'is game~! Eet's Junpei! Non, Minato! Now eet iz Junpei! Minato! Junpei! Minato! ! And Minato scores!" The ball soared passed Junpei's outstretched paddle, bouncing off of the table and onto the floor.

"Kasumi!" The looser complained. "Your crazy accent distracted me! I demand a rematch!"

Minato, however, just set his paddle down. "I won fair and square."

As the blue haired boy passed me, I held out my hand for a high-five, which he returned with a small smile.

"Okay, my turn!" I stood up, walking towards the table. "I wanna play against Aigis!"

The blond robot turned her attention to me. "I am not programmed for such recreational activities. I do not think I will be able to operate at the optimum setting for such a sport."

"Oh, c'mon, Aigis!" Junpei, apparently recovered from his defeat, nudged her forward. "All you gotta do is hit the ball!"

"Okay… I will try to play this… 'Ping-pong.'"

I smiled, bouncing a new ball beneath my paddle. "Awesome! I'll serve first, okay?" "That is acceptable."

I sent the ball slowly towards the robot. I figured I'd go easy on her, as she obviously had no clue what she was doing.

Those inhuman eyes homed in on the projectile and her mechanical arm reared back in preparation. Then – crack!

I didn't see it coming – literally. Aigis had hit the ball with such strength that it was impossible to follow. With no idea where to swing, I flailed my paddle wildly in a last ditch effort to return the ball. Something small hit my forehead with such force that I stumbled back a few steps. My grip on the paddle I was still swinging loosened, and it slipped through my fingers.

"Agh!"

Rubbing my forehead, I glanced to my right. Minato was sitting where I had minutes before, and he didn't look happy. His hand was covering his one usually visible eye, and my paddle lay next to him. It didn't take a detective to figure out what happened there.

"I'm so sorry…! Um, Aigis, I don't think you're able to operate at the optimum setting for this sport…"

July 22nd

The last day of our trip had finally arrived, and all of SEES elected to spend it on the beach. The guys and I were the first to get there.

"Man, it's already the third day of our trip." Junpei remarked, staring out at the ocean wistfully. "It's too bad we have to go home tomorrow… I'd totally stay if I could. But I can't complain. A lot of cool things happened while we were here."

"Yeah…" Minato glared at me. The look really accentuated his newly acquired black eye.

"Hey, why are you mad at me? I'm a victim here, too!" To prove my point, I brushed my bangs out of my face to show off the third eye I was sporting on my forehead in the form of a nasty bruise.

"Next time, you shouldn't make you lose with your stupid accents! You might not've played Aigis if you hadn't!" Junpei teased.

"My accents are freaking amazing, jerk!"

Akihiko sighed. "…How can you tow be so full of energy? We were all up so late last night…"

I turned to him with a smirk. "The answer is simple, senpai! An unhealthy amount of caffeine!"

At that moment, the other girls showed up along with Aigis. …Who is a girl, I guess…

"Do we have a mission at the beach today?" She asked, though with her flat voice, it was almost impossible to distinguish it as a question.

"Nah, it's nothing like that. We just came here to have some fun." Junpei explained with a carefree smile.

"Do you understand what it means to 'have fun,' Aigis?" Ever curious about the workings of the robot, Fuuka questioned her.

"Of course. Recreation is the refreshment of one's mind and body."

Junpei nodded happily. "Exactly! Wow, you sure know a lot about us humans. Alright, let's take one last dip before we leave!" The boy led the machine towards the waves, which sounds like an absolutely abysmal idea. 'Machine' and 'waves' aren't words you usually use in a sentence together, unless it is 'the machine should avoid the waves unless it wants to short circuit and die.'

Fuuka seemed to share my concern. "Uh, hold on, Junpei-kun… Is it okay for Aigis to go into the ocean?"

Yukari waved her off. "Oh, I'm sure she's waterproof."

They continued into the water, but Aigis quickly returned.

"What's wrong, Aigis?"

"It is best that we all engage in this activity together. An activity in which only one person derives enjoyment is not the optimal way to 'have fun.'"

Yukari, Fuuka and Mitsuru exchanged glances before shrugging and running after the robot. I watched, as the five seemed to break off into two groups and began a water battle. It was Yukari, Mitsuru, and Aigis against Fuuka and Junpei, a very odd choice of teams. Plus, I didn't really expect Mitsuru to actually participate. I think Ikutsuki showed up after a while, but my attention was on the teens in the ocean. Their battle had soon dissolved into a 'beat up Junpei' fest.

"Wait, are we teaming up against Junpei? I like teaming up against Junpei!" I decided to join them. Splashing into the surf, I began kicking as much water as I could towards the only boy.

"Wait!" He spluttered, struggling to stay standing. "Now that Kasumi's here, we can have even teams! Please! Have mercy on my soul!"

Minato watched his teammates having fun in the ocean. Poor Junpei looked completely haggard, with his hat askew and water dripping into his eyes. The usually expressionless boy found his lips twist up into a grin as Kasumi snuck up from behind him, pulling him into the waves with a shout of triumph.

Strange.

He wasn't used to smiling this much. Minato wasn't one for letting his emotions shine through like that. Not because he was an emotionless machine like Aigis, but because that was the mask he wore. It protected him. But, ever since he joined SEES, he had found a different protection – one he hadn't really had since the accident ten years ago.

Friendship.

He remembered one of the first times he ever awoke to find himself in the Velvet Room. Igor had told him that his power would grow as he strengthened his bonds of friendship. At the time, he had brushed it off as a ridiculous notion. But now…

Minato was starting to realize the true power of the bonds between people.

Minato shook his head, wincing as his swollen eye stung. Like Aigis, he knew what it meant to 'have fun.' But until recently, he had believed the optimal way to have fun was to be alone. Living in the dorm, and especially on this trip… During Operation Babe Hunt… During the Ping-pong game… He realized how wrong he had been.

'Thou art I, and I am thou.'

Time seemed to freeze as the mysterious yet familiar voice whispered in his head.

Again, Minato smiled.

~~Author's Note~~

I recently got back from a two-week-long vacation, and kinda just fell on my bed, determined never to move again. So that's what I've been doing for the past… week? Week and a half? I had most of this written before, which is why the disclaimer references the Germany/Denmark game in the Euro cup of a few weeks ago. I just didn't really have the time or energy to upload it. AND IT'S SHORT. RAWR. BUT NEXT CHAPTER WE GET MORE INABA FUN. AND KASUMI GOES TO VISIT NAOTO AGAIN SOON. AND MAYBE THE TWO STORIES MIGHT ACTUALLY START BLENDING. YAAAAY.

Sorry… I'm both hyper and exhausted at the same time.

Sorry this chapter is short, and if it seems sub-par, I'm sorry. I was editing this so late, and because I started writing this, stopped for a long period of time, then picked it back up, it was hard to keep going.

On a random note, I noticed the new 'image manager' thing... It's times like these I wish I could draw, so I could make a kick- ass picture for this story.

Oh, I should have said this last time, but I was too… depressed.

Thank you all for the 50+ reviews. I don't have time to respond to them all sometimes, but I take to heart every word. They mean a lot to me. *Wipe tear* Without them, I wouldn't have had the motivation to even get past chapter three. Thank you to all of you.

Here's a virtual muffin.

...When editing this, I read one sentence as "but I take to word every heart." I reread it three times, trying to figure out why it was worded like that, then I realized I had written it correctly, it's three thirty in the morning, and the most coherent thought I can muster up is "Hello, my name is potato." I should go to bed.