~~Author's Note~~

The Gekkoukan Trip was one of my favorite parts of P4. So I'm hellaexcite.

This is gonna be great.

I hope.


Chapter 21

September 7th

When Mitsuru asked us to help plan for this "cultural exchange," or whatever, she failed to mention the ever-so-important detail that the trip was in two days. Or, speaking from the present, tomorrow.

Which meant Minato and I were stuck in the Student Council room after school for hours as we struggled to put together the event. Somehow, with her Kirijo-charms, Mitsuru was able to get the school a day off, so figuring out where to hold lectures wasn't a problem. In fact, the only real problem we ran into was figuring out who would be there to represent Gekkoukan's student body.

The obvious choice was the vice president, but she had conveniently come down with the sniffles and wasn't in school. Our next option was stick-up-his-ass Hidetoshi, who said he was much too busy with another matter to bother. Chihiro, the treasurer, damn near fainted when we suggested she do it. Eventually, Minato volunteered to be the representative.

"Hahah! That's our Mina-kun, taking one for the team! …Why are you staring at me? …Wait… You don't expect me to come with you…? Right?"


That evening, I was supposed to initiate Operation: Befriend Shinjiro-senpai. It was a daunting task, but seeing as Naoto would be in town tomorrow, I wanted to prove to her that I could make friends. However…

"Minato, I can't do it. No way. Nope. He'll hurt me."

Minato gave me a look, as if to ask, "Really? He'd hurt his teammate?"

"Well… Maybe not physically… But emotional wounds can hurt just as badly!" I responded to his unspoken question.

"Don't be stupid."

"Don't call me stupid! Look, I'll go talk to him if you come with me! I know! I'll ask him if he wants to join the two of us for dinner. That'll work, and I won't have to be alone!"

"…"

The boy turned away from me, pointedly ignoring my request.

"Please, Mina-kun? Please? For me?" Quickly, I moved so that I was standing in his line of sight.

"…" He stared at me for a solid few seconds before sighing. "…Fine."

"Yes! Thank you so much, friend!" I gave the quiet boy a quick hug, and then dashed off to find Shinjiro.


Minato watched the hyper girl run off with a slight smirk. He knew without needing to watch that all of her energy would immediately disappear when it came time to actually talk to Shinjiro, that she would probably deflate like a balloon. He also knew that she'd manage to do it, even if she stuttered like an idiot, and then she'd come racing back over to him with the senior in tow, acting like nothing had even happened. She'd say later that it hadn't been a big deal at all, etc. etc.

Sure enough, Kasumi, with Shinjiro just behind her, approached him minutes after she'd left.

"Okay! Ready to go, Mina-kun?" Amused, Minato noted that the girl looked ready to pass out despite her energetic façade, while the boy wore a neutral, almost bored expression. He was surprised that he actually agreed to come.

"Sure."

The trio ended up at Wakatsu Restaurant, a sushi place located in Iwatodai Station. Minato ate there occasionally, but Kasumi practically didn't know it existed.

"Mina-kun claims this place makes you smarter, or something. I personally think that's total crap. How can food make you smarter, ya know?" She chatted idly as they slid into a booth, Minato and Kasumi on one side and Shinjiro on the other. Shinjiro let out an 'mm' as a response as he scanned the menu. "Um… Have you ever eaten here before? I haven't…"

He glanced up briefly. "I don't really go to places like this."

"I see…"

They lapsed into a semi-awkward silence. Well, it was awkward for Kasumi, Minato assumed by the way she was fidgeting. He really didn't care, and he could tell that Shinjiro was more interested in the menu than the lack of conversation.

When the waiter came by to take everyone's order, Kasumi looked ready to cry in relief. She spoke so quickly when ordering her dish that the waiter had to ask her to repeat herself. Once everyone had ordered, it was back to the "awkward" silence that was only awkward for one party.

"Do the others eat like this?" Minato had to stifle a smirk when she jumped so violently at Shinjiro's question that she hit the table with her knee.

"Wha—Um. What do you mean?"

"Those guys at the dorm. Are they eating right?"


'Alright, Kasumi. Play it cool. Answer the question without sounding stupid.' I mentally cheered myself on as I thought up my answer.

"Um. I think so? I guess they eat like regular high schoolers…"

"Hmph."

'A one-syllable response?! What did I say wrong?! What do I do?! Why is making friends so hard?!' I wanted to punch something so badly. I had managed to befriend Minato all on my own without the anxiety attacks and terror, and I got along fine with the other SEES members. I had no problem pestering any of them until they had no choice but to accept my friendship, but Shinjiro was so damn scary!

"Do you want something?" Shinjiro spoke again and again I nearly had a heart attack.

"Pardon?"

Sighing, he gave me a look I was all too familiar with – an 'are you an idiot' look. "Why did you want to come here?"

"I – well…" I stuttered awkwardly, staring down at the linoleum tabletop. 'What the hell is wrong with me? Why can't I just bother the shit out of him like I do Minato? …Right; he's twice my size and can kill me in one punch…' "Oh, I give up." With that, I stood up sharply while avoiding everyone's gaze. Minato shook his head slightly, but made no move to stop me when I practically fled the restaurant. He'd most likely make me pay him back for my meal later.

My footsteps echoed dully as I sprinted back to the dorm. "Damn it, Kasumi! What the hell was that?! If he didn't want to kill you before, he definitely does now…! Ugh! I don't get why I can't do this! And Nao's gonna think I'm a failure, too… So much for Operation Friendship."


Minato watched the purple-haired girl disappear with a blank look. To be perfectly honest, she'd lasted longer than he expected. From what he could tell, Kasumi was the kind of person who cared if people liked her or not, whether or not she realized it herself. The other members of SEES were kind to her. She got in arguments with Yukari sometimes, but they didn't necessarily have a bad friendship – it was more akin to a rivalry. Junpei and Fuuka were always friendly with her as well.

Shinjiro was different from the juniors, and even the other seniors. He came off as gruff and rude, with little interest in making friends. Kasumi's mind interpreted that kind of person as scary. She was so terrified that he wouldn't like her that she couldn't even try to reach out to him.

Or at least, that was Minato's take on the situation. He could be completely wrong.

"The hell was that about?" The senior in question glanced at the gray-eyed boy.

"Kasumi's shy."

"Huh?"

Shy wasn't quite the right word, but it came close. "She thinks you want to kill her."

With a shake of his head, Shinjiro turned to the plate of food that had just arrived. "Stupid girl."


September 8th

Souji admired Gekkoukan High School along with the rest of his class. The building was much larger than Yasogami and more impressive than even his old high school. It practically glowed in the sunlight.

"Whoa, what's up with this place…? This school's way too big!" Used to the tiny size of Inaba's school, even city-boy Yosuke was intimidated. "Wait… If we can't beat 'em on size, we're totally sunk…"

There were three people outside the main building waiting for them. The rather large balding man was obviously the school's principal. As soon as they arrived, he launched into a long, prattling, seemingly never-ending speech that most of the Inaba students were tuning out. In fact, the two Gekkoukan students seemed not to be listening, either.

Speaking of those students… Souji was rather surprised to see two familiar faces. He'd seen the bright-eyed girl with Naoto Shirogane before, along with the slouching, bored-looking boy next to her.

"Our school is closed today, but, ahh, because of this rare opportunity for cultural exchange… Some of our students will walk you through these halls. First, though, a student body representative will say a few words…" At that, the reserved boy stepped forward. He took his hands out of his pockets, straightened up, and moved his hair slightly so both his gray eyes were visible.

"Thank you, President. Welcome to Gekkoukan High. I'm Minato Arisato, a second year and Student Council member here. I'm honored to meet you all."

There were multiple gasps from the Yasogami students, mostly from the girls. Even the Gekkoukan girl looked shocked.

"Whoa, talk about a personality shift…!" Chie whispered.

"He's like a totally different person…" Yukiko, too, stared at the boy.

Yosuke groaned. "C'mon, you're being dramatic."

"This is the first time our school has invited another student body for a true cultural exchange." Carrying on with his speech, his piercing eyes scanned the crowd. "To learn about others is to learn about oneself, and is the first step on the road to self-betterment… This I believe. To ensure a worthwhile experience for each and every one of you, we will do our best to help you accomplish that. …So let us enjoy our time together. Thank you." He stepped back as soon as he finished, and immediately reverted to his former self. Any kind of expression disappeared and his shoulders slumped once more.

After a word from their teacher, all the students scurried off to the building.

Souji and his group lagged behind.

"Wow, Mina-kun! I'm impressed." The girl grinned at Minato. "Didn't know you were an orator. I'll add that to the list of things Minato is better than literally everyone at. …Why did you make me come?"

"Emotional support."

"That's a load of crap. You just wanted me to suffer…" She glared at the boy for a few seconds before glancing down at her hands – or rather, the papers she clutched in her hands. "Oh, damn it! Umm…" Whipping her head around frantically, her green gaze rested on Souji. She held a look of recognition for a brief minute before approaching them.

"Hey, you! I kind of maybe forgot to give everyone their schedules for today. Kindly hand them out, please." The stack of papers was thrust into his grip.

"No problem."

"Heh… Thanks! I'm not perfect like Arisato over there, so I can't be expected to remember things."

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"Ya know, he didn't even write that speech! Our student council President did, because she couldn't make it. He just likes to prove that he's better than everyone. Anyway, you guys have lectures on the second floor. Have fun!"

With that, the Gekkoukan students disappeared into the school building. Souji stared after them for a moment. Rather, he stared at Minato Arisato. He couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen him before… Not in Inaba, where they met briefly at Junes, but somewhere else…

A deep blue car… A limo, to be exact. For a split second, it seemed to expand, and he felt himself jerk upwards, as though in an elevator. He sensed a presence behind him. A kid no older than himself, with cold gray eyes…

"So… When's our free period?" The disappointed voice of his partner jerked Souji back to reality.

Chie glanced down at the paper that had somehow disappeared from his hands and into hers. "Uhh… We don't get one. We have classes all through today. Tonight and tomorrow, we'll be staying at a hotel… We'll have free time tomorrow and the day after, until we leave at noon."

"You gotta be kidding me…"

"Come on, guys! Let's focus on our studies for now, so we can enjoy our free time later!" Yukiko, ever the optimist, led the group into the school.


"I saw you at the school today. I have to say, I was surprised." Naoto's voice crackled through my phone's speaker. I was sprawled out on the couch in the lounge. With almost everyone still interrogating Chidori in the hospital, I had the dorm pretty much to myself.

"Yeah, well… Most all of our student council was busy, so Minato volunteered to be the representative. That asshole dragged me down with him."

"Good for him."

"No, not good for him! He was torturing me!"

"Don't be so melodramatic, Kasumi." Sighing, my sister chastised me.

I just rolled my eyes. I was Kasumi Shirogane. 'Melodrama' was my middle name. "Anyway, I wanted to ask where you guys are staying. Minato and I can pick you up and give you a tour tomorrow."

"That's very generous of you both. Thank you. And I believe we're staying at 'Sea Side City Hotel.'"

At that, I frowned. "Sea Side City…? Why does that name sound familiar…?"

"I can't imagine you have ever been here. It… doesn't seem your type... It's located on Shirakawa Boulevard."

Oh.

Oh no.

Horrible memories flooded my mind. The Shadow… The bedroom… The Minato…

"We'll pick you up from the school."

"Wh—"

"We will pick you up from the school."


September 9th

"Really, Minato? Really? When I asked what you usually did in the evenings, I expected… I expected… Anything but this!"

We had picked up my sister just as planned once school ended, and gave her an extensive walking tour of pretty much everything interesting in Port Island. Once night fell, I casually asked Minato what he usually did with his evenings. I thought he'd say he went to the coffee shop, or something else equally pretentious.

I honestly didn't think he'd take us to a nightclub.

"I cannot believe you'd take my poor, young, impressionable little sister to some place as inappropriate as this! What do you even do here?"

"I befriended a monk." He said that so calmly, as if it answered all my questions.

"I'm a year younger than you, Kasumi, and I do believe you're the impressionable one between us. Besides, it appears some of my classmates have already beat us here." Gesturing to the dance floor, Naoto pointed out several high school students that apparently attended Yasogami High.

I blinked, shocked. "Since when are high schoolers allowed in a nightclub?!"

"I admit, I'm surprised as well. Perhaps we should consult the owner."

And that's just what we did, like good little detectives. The bartender explained to us that while they did allow minors to enter, they had a very strict alcohol policy and refused service to those not old enough to drink. Apparently, a drunk driving incident had claimed the life of a Gekkoukan teacher a few years back, and that ever since then, they'd been much stricter about their policy.

"Well, how 'bout that?" I remarked as we walked towards the front of the club. We were about to leave when we ran into a surprising group of individuals.

"Whoa…! So this is a club…!"

"Whoo! I'm totally ready for this!"

"There's nothing like this back home…"

Who else but Souji Seta and his friends? They were being led by the pop idol of the group and seemed just as shocked to see us as we were to see them.

"Is it permitted for high school students such as yourselves to be here?" Naoto asked, despite the fact that we just confirmed that it was, in fact, permitted. She most likely wanted to poke fun at them. Either that, or she just couldn't come up with anything else to say. I considered chiming in, but Naoto did say she would try to socialize with these people, and I desperately wanted to see how she'd handle that.

"Wh-What!? Dude, look who's talking! You were here before we were!" The brunet dude answered her, "That's right… I guess if the first-years came on the trip, you'd be here too…"

"The clientele here seems above-board, so I don't expect there'll be any problems. Shall we go, Kasumi, Minato-san?" She began to push through the group. I glanced at Minato and shrugged. He, as expected, didn't reply.

"Huh? You're leaving?" Another brunette in a track jacket stopped her.

The black-haired girl – really, I need to keep their names memorized – chimed in, "Why don't you all join us?"

Naoto froze. She glanced at me with a baffled expression that silently begged for help. I just smirked. We had a deal, after all. "Are you… asking me to stay?"

"Uh huh. We didn't get to chat last time." The girl smiled brightly.

"Ah… I… I-It's just that I had some matters to attend to that day." My little sister seemed adorably uncomfortable. I felt a little bad, making her fend for herself… Then again, I was forced to try and befriend the scariest man I've ever met, so I felt she deserved to know my pain as well.

The idol – Risette? – approached her next. "Well, you're free now, right? I was really eager to talk to you. I'm curious how someone my age is working as a detective. I'd like to get to know your friends, too! I didn't know you knew people at Gekkoukan!"

"How about it?"

Again, she turned to me. I shrugged, the universal gesture for "don't ask me; this is your decision."

"Hmm… Very well, if you insist." I wasn't the only one to notice Naoto's pink cheeks. The brunet who may or may not be named Yosuke commented on it as well, which only deepened the pink-ish color.

"Oh, right!" Risette spoke up. "Minato-kun introduced himself at the school, but we never got your name…"

It took me a second to realize I was the one she was addressing. "Oh, I'm Kasumi Shirogane. Naoto's older sister." The group introduced themselves to me, giving me names I would most likely forget tomorrow but made an active attempt to remember.

"I can reserve us a room."

No one was expecting Minato to speak up, or say anything like that. Especially myself.

"Excuse me? Reserve?!"

"I know a guy."


Minato smiled slightly at his friend's expression when they entered the upstairs room, the same room he met Mutatsu-san in occasionally. The Yasogami kids gathered around one table, taking up most of the room on the benches. While poor Naoto was stuck between two of the girls, Kasumi and Minato were left to pull up two more chairs. Minato sat down adjacent to Souji, and the two exchanged a brief look. Neither said anything, but both boys seemed to visibly tense. Kasumi glanced between the two curiously from her seat.

"Hey, Mina-kun, how on earth were you able to get us a VIP room?" Kasumi raised an eyebrow at him.

"I know a regular customer."

"I swear you're not human…"

"Are you sure this is all right?" Chie looked around nervously. "Isn't this expensive?"

Minato just shook his head. "It's on me." Training in Tartarus had its perks, and one of those was that he always had money on hand.

"Well, if you're sure… I'm gonna order some more."

The oddly dressed Teddie let out a loud cheer, sounding strangely inebriated. "Whoooo! I'm not gonna hold back, either!" He chugged down a brightly colored drink in seconds.

"Dude, you sound even weirder today…" Kanji remarked.

Teddie's reply was slurred, as though he had actually consumed an alcoholic beverage. "Awww, you're sho cold, Kanji… Hm… Kanji? Kanji, Kanji… I Kanj-ecture that shomething's up! Heeheehee, that's a great one!"

Kasumi glanced at Minato and made a vague 'what the hell' gesture with her arms. He shook his head. She was one to talk about strange behavior.

While Kasumi wasn't amused, Yukiko found the miserable 'Kanj-ecture' pun hilarious, and was practically keeled over laughing. The blond and the black-haired girl were falling into each other, unable to contain their giggles.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Holding up his glass to the light, Yosuke squinted at the drink. "Are these liquor?"

"Definitely not." Minato instantly answered. Club Escapade didn't serve alcohol to minors, as the bartender had made expressly clear earlier.

No one seemed to believe him, however, given the state of three of their friends. Naoto just shook her head in exasperation. She glared at her sister, obviously irritated. Minato couldn't blame her.

"King's Gaaaaaaaaaaaame!"

Everyone turned to stare at the red-faced idol. She shot out of her seat, nearly spilling her drink.

"Times like this, adults play the King's Game. It's the law… *hic * What's their problem…? They make me act like a ditz, call me Risette and stuff, and then say I'm a kid… *hic * It's so obvious… Those wrap parties get a lot funner after I go home! Morooons! I'm gonna play the King's Game now and ain't no one gonna stop me!" She began rambling about something or another, apparently dead-drunk.

Yosuke sighed. "Yet another side of Rise exposed… I wonder if she knows what she's saying…"

"Man, idols are so weird."

"Kasumiiiii-chan! Go prepareth the chopsticks!"

Green eyes widened in shock. "'Scuse me? I'm definitely not playing thi—"

"The King's word is law! Chop-chop!"

Kasumi turned to Minato for help, but he just shrugged. She'd have to deal with that one herself.

"U-um… What's this King's Game, again?" Chie asked tentatively. Her pseudo-inebriated friend answered.

"Okay… One chopstick makes you the king if you draw it, and the others have numbers on 'em. The King picks a number and says what that person has to do. But who has which number is a secret until the King gives the orders!"

"Senpai, you're such an adult! You tell 'em!"

"Why do you people know these things…?" Kasumi sighed. She had managed to find a cup and chopsticks, which she unceremoniously dropped onto the table. Minato had the suspicion she was regretting teasing her sister into socializing. "Someone else can write on them."

"C'mon, everyone draw!"

Minato reached for a chopstick along with everyone else…

Number 3.

"Okay, sooo! Who's the King?"

"Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King?!"

Yosuke expressed what everyone was thinking at that point. "Ugh… We're already doomed from the get-go…."

"Pretty sure we were doomed before we started playing, dude." Kasumi remarked. "Have you met your friends?"

"I, the King, command thee to smooch the King without delay! Smoooooooch!"

"S-S-S-Smooch?!"

Teddie grasped his hands in front of him in mock prayer. "Please, God… Grand me a girl! Number 3!"

Minato glanced back down at his chopstick before sighing and standing up.

"I meant number 2…!"

For someone so unhappy about playing, Kasumi definitely seemed to suddenly be enjoying herself. She wheezed with laughter. "No take-backs! Holy crap, Mina-kun!"

The blue-haired boy was unfazed. A 'smooch' didn't have to be anything weird or intimate, and he definitely wasn't going to make a scene. He, after all, was still totally in control of his cognitive functions. And the sooner he obeyed the stupid rules, the sooner the game would be over. Without pause, Minato approached the flustered Teddie. He leaned forward and lightly pecked the top of his head. There were shocked gasps all around.

Kasumi wasn't done laughing. In fact, her chuckles only increased after the 'smooch.' "You actually did it! Oh, my god!"

"On to round two!" Rise exclaimed, not seeming affected at all by the previous scene.

Somewhat reluctant to continue the game, Minato once again drew.

"Who's the King?"

Souji raised his hand quietly. Chie let out a breath. "Phew… Someone decent… No crazy orders this time…"

"That's not how it goes! If the last King demanded a smooch, then the next order's gotta be more extreme." Apparently, Yukiko was a stickler for the rules. "Chiiieee, don't be such a party pooper… Ahahahaha!"

"Heyyy! The person who gets picked should have to rest their head on the King's lap."

"Nah, make 'em sit on his lap."

"Oh! Or they could have to hug him!"

"Better than that… A piggyback ride!"

Rise and Yukiko volleyed suggestions between each other for a moment, each option more ridiculous than the last. Minato found himself silently praying he wouldn't be picked. He hadn't minded kissing Teddie's head, but he'd rather not be forced into an intimate, awkward situation with Souji Seta.

Souji actually looked rather uncomfortable with the situation as well. After a few seconds, he sighed. "Number two sits on my lap…"

"…"

"…"

"…Well this was fun, but I just remembered that I have a very important paper to start writing, so I'll be going. Nice to meet you a—"

Before Kasumi could make her not-so-subtle escape attempt, Minato reached out and gripped her wrist. She turned around slowly, a bright red blush on her face. Both Minato and Naoto wore similar expressions that said 'if I have to deal with this, so do you.' He was a bit annoyed that Kasumi was the one picked, but he couldn't exactly figure out why.

"Ugh. I hate you."

"King's word is law, Kasumi~!" Yukiko giggled and pulled her forward. She damn near threw the poor girl onto the equally uncomfortable boy's lap.

"Sorry about them…" He muttered.

The girl remained there for about three seconds before dashing back to her seat.


'I am going to kill Minato. I swear to every deity ever. He is a dead man. I was home free.'

My face was still burning. I could not believe I had to go through that.

'I owe Naoto an apology. I should never have made her hang out with these guys. They're all crazy. This is worse than talking to Shinjiro… Well… Maybe not… But it's up there.'

"Ahahahah, me next! Me! I'm the King! Actually, the Queen!" Unfortunately for everyone with a shred of sanity, Yukiko declared herself the next ruler without even drawing a chopstick. "Alright, then… Let's have someone talk about something really embarrassing that they'd never wanna tell anyone! Hrmmm, let's see… Ah! Naoto-kun! I choose you!" Oh, poor Naoto. My sister, however, didn't look upset in the least.

"She's breaking all the rules… Just ignore her, Naoto."

She waved off Yosuke's concern. I recognized the look in her eyes immediately – it was her 'scheming' look. "No… No, that won't be necessary. One stipulation, though: If I do this, the rest of you must reveal 'something' as well."

So that was her game plan. I tried to hide my smile. Although, she definitely could've been a bit more subtle.

"No particularly embarrassing experiences come to mind… Would discussing my life be fair game? It's the rare situation like this that gives me call to speak of such things."

"Damn… Way to kill the mood…" Yeah, subtlety was not Naoto's strong suit. However, with several members of their group "drunk," she didn't really have to be.

Naoto took a breath, and launched into a well-rehearsed lecture on Shirogane history. I got the feeling she'd been planning that ploy from the moment we started the game. "With the exception of my sister here, the Shirogane family has been detectives for generations now. We lend our powers to the police from time to time. In days gone by, when there were no crime scene investigators, consulting detectives were considered more valuable. Thus, my grandfather still has a strong connection with the police and looks after me, despite my youth and inexperience. But investigators nowadays are well versed in science and medicine, so I must further my studies."

Yosuke frowned. "…That's it? No punch line?"

"Ahem… I fear you might be looking to the wrong person for that."

Despite the fact that Naoto said literally nothing funny, Yukiko burst out into a fit of giggles. "That's sooo embarrassing! Isn't Naoto-kun embarrassing?"

I muttered the same thing as Yosuke as I rubbed my temples. "I wanna go home…"

Without missing a beat, Naoto launched straight into the hard questions. "Well then, it's your turn now. A straight answer, please. What is your true involvement with the murder case?"

"You know, you're so good at killing the mood that it's almost funny…"

Naturally, the drunk black-head answered immediately. "Weeeeell, we go rescuing people who've been kidnapped by jumping into the TV! And theeen, we do stuff like, "Persona!" with our Personas and beat the crap outta Shadows…"

I damn near choked on my drink, coughing violently as I tried to process what was just said. Minato patted my back.

"…Are you making fun of me?" Of course, my dear sister had no knowledge of Personas or Shadows, and glared unamused at the group.

"It's true!" Rise insisted in a slurred voice. "Personaaa!" She jumped up, struck a ridiculous pose, and wobbled a bit, falling back down immediately.

Naoto narrowed her eyes. "…I see now that you had no intention of telling me the truth. But I'm curious… How did you become so inebriated? This isn't alcohol."

"Good one, Naoto!" Yukiko laughed.

I sighed, finally clearing all of the fruit juice out of my system. "No, it's definitely not. We checked with the owner before you all arrived."

"Whooooo cares…. Wheee, I feel so good… Good night…!" Yukiko collapsed onto the bench, apparently passed out. The two remaining rambunctious 'drunks' continued to spout nonsense about carrying on until morning. Naoto looked completely done with this insanity.

"As I said… You haven't been drinking alcohol! Are you a pack of imbeciles!?"

My sister stood sharply, leaving without a goodbye. I glanced at Minato before we both followed her. I tentatively waved goodbye.

Once outside, I bit farewell to Naoto, who was still in a sour mood. She really did think she'd be able to get the truth out of them.

… But did she?

"What the hell, Minato!?" As soon as Naoto was out of earshot, I rounded on the boy. "Personas and Shadows?! What the hell is going on?"

He just shook his head. "They were telling the truth."

"Yeah, obviously. They were fake-intoxicated. But… But… if that's really their involvement in the case… I can't tell Nao that! Then I'd have to explain why that's true! But then what exactly is going on in Inaba?! Does it have something to do with Tartarus? Does it not? How could it possibly not? I am so confused and upset right now, Minato…" I'd started off loud, but as I continued to speak, my voice dropped in volume. By the end of my little rant, I was mumbling in distress. I rested my head on Minato's shoulder, too tired and stressed to really think about what I was doing.

"…Let's go home."


September 9th

Before the Dark Hour

Souji knew Naoto thought they were crazy. When Yukiko mentioned Personas, he'd gotten upset.

However…

Those two Gekkoukan students… Kasumi Shirogane nearly choked in shock. Minato Arisato appeared, albeit extremely subtly, surprised to hear those terms.

But that would make no sense. The Midnight Channel didn't appear anywhere else except Inaba, as far as he knew. Unless there were other Persona Users elsewhere, which was entirely likely, there was no way for them to recognize those words.

Souji was sure he'd seen Minato before, and he thought he knew where. He had appeared for just a split second in the Velvet room. Igor had said as much before. "It's not every day we host more than one guest."

Were Minato and Kasumi involved with Personas? Did they have something to do with the TV World?

As he thought, the clock struck twelve.

The change was subtle. His hotel room suddenly adopted a dark atmosphere. He felt that he could see shapes moving out of the corner of his eye, and for a second swore he saw blood on the walls. It was gone as soon as he blinked.

In fact, the way his room felt now reminded him of the feeling he got when he watched the Midnight Channel.

It was strange.

Eventually, sleep came.


Next time on The Link

Kasumi has a birthday?

Naoto takes a risk.

Personas are summoned.


~~Author's Note~~

I didn't realize how long the Gekkoukan trip would take!

Fun fact of the day – brunet = male

Brunette = female.

I can file that under things high school did not teach me.

I don't have a solid grasp on the P4 cast's personalities. Thankfully, most everything I needed this episode was provided for me in the text of the game. Next time, however…

College starts in September for me, and I have a busy couple of months ahead of me. My already slow updates might be slower. Then again, they might speed up. Who really knows?

(also. I'm editing this at 3:10am. Please forgive any typos, of which I'm sure there's plenty)