I didn't get much sleep though. I never do. This time, it was because Kazushi rang me at around noon asking me where I was.

Oh yeah, I said I'd hang out with him today, didn't I...

Crap. I threw some clothes on and ran straight to Iwatodai strip mall.

I was still catching my breath when I got there.

"Woah, Minato!" he whistled, poking the bags under my eyes. "What were you doing last night?"

"Kicking arse…"

…oh crap I can't believe I just said that.

"You were in a fight?" Kazushi was suddenly all concern.

"Uh… Kinda…" I lied. Fighting is against the Kendo team rules, and if I get caught I'll get thrown off, badass or not.

Kazushi grabbed my shoulder, glaring at me. "Minato, my knee's probably injured. Don't do this to the team OR to yourself."

"R-Right…" I was too tired to deal with this. "Sorry…"

"But man, I thought you could deal with something like that with your endurance!"

"It was the aftermath that did it for me."

"Ouch… painful…" we stepped inside the restaurant and headed for the tills to order our food. "Did you win?"

I laughed. "Winning isn't everything you know."

Kazushi laughed as well. "Good point." he said as we approached the till. "Did you?"

"Prodigy Platter please." I said to the guy behind the counter. I turned to Kazushi and punched him in the arm. "Hell yeah!"

Kazushi smirked, rubbing his dead arm.

I stepped by the Velvet Room on the way back to the dorm. "Good evening."

"Hey Elizabeth. 'Sup Igor?"

"It's nice to see you young man." he grinned as usual.

I turned to Elizabeth. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes." She answered. "I would like to begin to offer you my full services." Ooh, this good. "This," she said, offering me a large, leather bound book, "Is the Demonic Compendium."

I opened it and on the first page, it said 'The definitive record of Minato Arisoto's Personae'.

"What's it for?" I asked.

Elizabeth took the book back from me. "This Compendium contains record of all the Persona you have ever possessed, and updates itself whenever you obtain another. You can also overwrite previous records with your current Personae."

"And why would I do that?" I asked.

"Because, Mister Arisoto…" her respectful tone seemed to have a hint of annoyance, but I could have been imagining it. "I am capable of summoning any Persona that you have recorded in this compendium for your use."

…

…

…

Wait, what?

"Meaning, you can regain Persona that you have discarded, or used as fusion material in demonic fusion." she elaborated.

"Sweet!"

"For a price of course." She offered me the book again. "I'll let you take a look."

Let's see… WOAH! Expensive!

It must have shown in my body language because Elizabeth noted that, "I think that you will find my prices more than reasonable."

I had to admit, the prices seemed to fit the usefulness and power of the Persona they contained. "I assume that these rates are non-negotiable?" I asked.

"Correct."

Well, I'd have to do something about that. "Thank you very much." I closed the book and handed it to her. "I'll be seeing you later." Yeah, after studying up on business tactics.

"Good night, Mister Arisoto."

Note to self, visit Bunkichi and Mitsuko later.

I set off to school early the next day to visit Bookworms on the way. "Hey Bunkichi-san." I waved.

The old man was happy to see me. "Minato-chan!" If I was Japanese, I'd probably be annoyed at that. "My wife's still upstairs."

"That's okay." I shrugged. "I'm looking for a book on negotiation and business tactics."

"Ooh, hoping to get some money behind that handsome face of yours?" Well, Kind of. "You're not gonna leave those girls half a chance, are you?"

I chuckled at the old man. He always did this, making me out to be some big player.

Personally, I doubt I could hold down a girlfriend, but it's good for an old man to have faith in me.

Oh, I've had a girlfriend before; about a year ago when I was 16. It didn't end well and to be honest? I'm not sure I ever loved her in the first place. I was happier that I had a girlfriend than the fact that Jessica was my girlfriend. Oh, she was a great lass, pretty too, and we got on until we broke up, but...

"Hey, don't let an old codger like me do all the work!" Bunkichi laughed, pulling me out of my thoughts.

We both scoured the shelves for a book that would do, and after a few minutes, we finally found it. We took it to the till and Bunkichi's wife came downstairs. She looked like she'd just been told that the world was ending.

"T-Tree…" she whimpered.

I was getting worried. "What happened?" She looked pale.

"See? You have Minato-chan worried now…" Bunkichi poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. "Here, drink this dear…"

He handed me a cup as well. "Here's one for you Minato-chan." I thanked him for the offer and sipped the drink. Japanese Herbal tea just isn't the same…

Mitsuko seemed to calm down a little. "T-the persimmon tree by the walkway… at your school…" the one that was planted by their son's students before he died? "I-I heard a rumour that it was going to be cut down…" oh… no wonder she looked like she was about to faint.

"What!" Bunkichi turned to me. "Do you know anything about this, Minato-chan?"

I shook my head. "Now, you have me worried."

Bunkichi smiled. "You're so kind Minato-chan." He turned to his wife. "I'll try to look into the rumour, but I may end up 'barking' up the wrong tree!"

I winced. "That pun was just 'Pine'ful."

Bunkichi hooted with laughter and Mitsuko smiled. I slipped some money onto the counter. "I need to get off to school." I said, slipping the book into my bag. "I'll come back later to tell you what I can find out." I left before Bunkichi tried to give me the book for free. "Later!"

I felt time stop again as I left the shop. Hi there Hierophant card. Bye-Bye Hierophant card.

I bumped into Junpei on the way to school.

"Wazzup?" he smirked. "Today is just an ordinary day, huh?"

"Apparently." I shrugged.

"That was crazy though," Junpei continued. "They day before yesterday. I've never had that kind of thrill before in my life!"

"Huh? You were fighting too Junpei-kun?" Kazushi asked as he walked up to us. Junpei turned to me with horror.

"Oh yeah." I turned to Kazushi. "He took a couple of guys on his own!"

Junpei got the hint. "Oh, gotcha." Apparently he missed that hint though. "Yeah, those guys didn't stand a chance!" he added, throwing a few shadow punches.

"Woah, You better not become a delinquent Minato." Kazushi looked serious. "You're on the Kendo team! Street fighting can-"

"Get me kicked off the team, I know. But those guys crossed the line. Don't worry," I added, patting his shoulder, "No one knows I did it. "

Kazushi sighed. "You sure?"

"Trust me." I grinned. "I'm like a ninja. Check it out…" I showed him a slim leather case. "This is Junpei's wallet."

"Huh!" Junpei frantically checked his pockets, before grabbing it. "Give it here!" he shoved it back into his back pocket.

The bell rang. "Come on," Kazushi told us, "Let's go!"

I slept through Mr Ekoda's lecture.

Exams were starting next week, but I didn't care.

He was doing the standard pre-exam rant, so it was fine.

Hey, it's not like I've got anything to lose. If I fail, I'll just go back to England and use those qualifications.

I tried to check out the student council room after school, but apparently it was locked until after the exams.

If that was the case though, then there was no chance I could talk to a teacher about the tree, so I decided to cut my losses and head straight for Bookworms.

"Oh, hello Minato-chan." Mitsuko greeted, looking a damn sight better than this morning. "We were just talking about you."

Bunkichi and Mitsuko still looked worried. Bunkichi apologised to me. "I'm sorry for troubling you about the Persimmon tree."

"I'll 'Root' out the truth!" I'd figured out that the best way to cheer up the old man was to tell worse jokes than he did.

"Good one Minato-chan!" he laughed. Told you. "It's really nice having you around. I can make stupid puns whenever I feel like it!"

"I'm laughing my 'ash' off."

Bunkichi chuckled, then became serious. "That tree… I can't believe it's going to be cut down…"

I nodded. "It reminds you of your son, right?"

Bunkichi nodded. "It was planted on graduation day with his first class…"

"It's just about to bear fruit…" Mitsuko looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Why now? Why do they want to cut it down now?"

I wanted her to cheer up, but asking her to do that seemed silly. I settled for "Don't worry."

"Thank you… Minato-chan." The old woman smiled. "I feel a lot better. It's really comforting talking to you."

She seemed appreciative of the little support I could give her. Bunkichi, on the other hand, looked impressed.

"Wow, Minato-chan, you've really captured her heart!" Odd phrasing. "You must be really popular with the ladies!"

Urp. "No, not really…"

"Nonsense! My wife's no sucker after all!" Bunkichi clapped me on the shoulder. "I feel like I'm looking at myself back in my prime! Course, back in my day, short hair was fashionable."

"Hands off the hair old man." I threatened.

Bunkichi laughed. "Are you kidding?" he leaned forward and whispered into my ear. "It gives you an air of mystery lad. Makes a woman swoon faster than any soldier's uniform."

SMASH

Thou art I… And I am thou…

Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hierophant Arcana.

Time started again and Bunkichi moved away from my face. "Don't worry about the tree, Minato-chan. Just stop by when you have the chance." Bunkichi then thought of something and added "Say, you're doing exams soon aren't you?"

I nodded. "They start Monday."

"Well then, you'd better be headed off. Here," he stuffed a packaged bun into my pocket. "Something to keep you going."

I thanked the old couple and left. I liked them. They were good people, and they deserved better than what life had dealt them, first losing their son, and now this.

Mind you, they're not the only ones life handed the crap cards too.

Sigh. Well, best be off back to the dorm. I didn't even consider asking Mitsuru if we could go to Tartarus that night. Everyone still in shock over Saturday.

Yukari didn't have Archery club the next morning, so we walked to school together. Apparently a lot of people who were suffering from Apathy Syndrome had suddenly recovered. I told her about my theory that if a Shadow is defeated, then its victims recovered, so destroying a huge Shadow would help a lot of people recover. Our efforts paid off.

"I think so too." She told me. "It was dangerous, but I'm glad we did it." We approached the train station where we recently had our battle. "We shouldn't get carried away though, cuz we have midterms next week."

"NOOOOO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

Some guy ran past us crying. "Hey, it's that odd chap from before."

"What's his problem?" She asked, turning back to face me. "Well, let's just hope nothing like that happens again until Midterms are over."

Oh, that reminded me. "Hey, you feel like going to Tartarus tonight?"

"Oh…" guess not then. "I was actually going over to a friend's house to study tonight…"

I nodded. "Tomorrow then?"

We boarded the train. "Sure. Hey, you okay about Mr. Ekoda's book?" we were told that half of the exam for his class would be on this book he told us all to read.

"I finished it ages ago." I shrugged. "Pretty good, but I had a few problems with the character development at times…"

And that is how a conversation turns into a quick tutoring session on literature.

I hung around Chagall Café after school revising.

At least, I was supposed to be, but I was actually studying my new book on business strategy while comparing the stock market of various businesses in Japan and making predictions. It was unexpectedly useful, kinda like 'Art of War', translated for business. I'd already read Sun Tzu's work a few times already, so I was soaking in this business version like a sponge.

I felt several pairs of eyes looking at me. Was this an effect of the coffee?

I looked around, but the only person looking at me was this middle aged man in a suit. Devil Arcana. It was pretty creepy.

Come to think about it, he looked familiar somehow. Was a he stalker? That would be even creepier. I looked away from him, focusing on my book.

He walked over to me and sat opposite me. Oh crap.

"My, you're handsome."

Oh, SNAP! Damn this coffee to hell!

"Tell me young man, how would you like to have your dreams come true? I have a golden opportunity for you."

Normally, I'd say I wasn't interested, but something was telling me to hear him out. "Tell me more..."

The man smiled. "I'm only telling this to you, so don't tell anyone this, okay?" he was enjoying this. "I can make you rich. Guaranteed."

"Nothing is guaranteed. Many major companies are failing today because they believed that their success was guaranteed." I replied instantly before he showed me his van.

The man was taken aback, but persevered. "All you need is twenty thousand yen, and your investment will multiply by ten- no, a hundred fold!"

A hundred and twenty six pound investment? "Two hundred and eleven dollars is a lot of money."

"The best part is that you don't have to do a thing!" The man was cracking, but he hid it well. "You'll become fabulously wealthy while you sleep!"

The man regained composure. He was a good liar, so combine that with the nice suit and he was probably in big business. He'd be good practice before I go up against Elizabeth. "Just give me the twenty thousand yen and I'll take care of the rest." He added.

I thought about it. "Well," the businessman began, "What do you say?"

"Honestly?" I asked, closing the book and leaning onto the table. "I have a few… reservations I would like clearing up first."

Surprise and Contempt flashed across the businessman's face, but he hid it well. If I wasn't looking at his face, I would never have seen it. Thank You, Paul Ekman. "What would they be, son?"

"Well, first I would like to know where my money is being invested." I explained, glancing at the computer screen before closing the lid. "The Kirijo Group's stock is rising, as is the new up and coming Junes chain, thanks to the Tanaka Megacorps investment. However several other companies, such as the Nanjo and Shibuya organisations, are failing as of late." The man seemed disturbed at this, but I continued. "My concern lies in whether or not I could make a good return on my money." I took a sip from my drink and looked up. "The Shibuya group in particular is in danger. So much so that they are likely to turn to another company for financial aid."

The man stood up to leave. "You don't know what you're talking about kid." He didn't bother to hide his scorn this time. "The Shibuya group may be suffering from the recession, but that company's CEO is too proud to humble himself like that."

"I know." I replied calmly. "This is why their Board of Directors will most likely band together to force him out. My prediction is that they will approach either the Kirijo, Virgin, or more likely, the Tanaka Mega Corporation within the next few days."

The man scoffed. "Sucking up to me won't do you any good kid."

"Oh, are you part of one of those companies?" I asked him.

He turned to leave and threw a business card onto the table.

President Tanaka S. - CEO of Tanaka Mega Corp.

Oh.

I sighed as returned to my book.

I left about fifteen minutes later and saw a Limo parked outside. President Tanaka stepped out of the back, door held open by a body guard type person.

"Where is he… AHA!" He saw me and ran towards me. "You!" he shouted, grabbing my shoulders "HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

I forced him off. I held back because he'd probably sue my arse. "How did I know what?" I asked, confused.

"How did you know that Shibuya was having a takeover?" he demanded.

Didn't see that coming. "The president was making poor decisions because of his pride and desire to cling to the past." I explained, retroactively explaining my gut instincts. "It would only be natural that those who worked their way to the top would want to protect their livelihood, and remove their biggest threat. Didn't expect it to happen so soon though…"

Tanaka face palmed. "Dammit… Shibuya just approached one of our guys asking us to buy into it."

Wow, I was good at this business thing. "What're you going to do?" I asked him.

Tanaka looked at me and smiled. "What would you do?"

I frowned. He's testing me.

Alright, let's test him. "With President Shibuya out of the picture, then his forty five percent share would now be open game." I explained. "He would have held on to some of it, of course, and the other board members would surely have bought much of the majority shares…" I did a few rough calculations. "I would pay a thirteen point seven million US dollar bailout for thirty two percent shares, with the opportunity to buy those back over the next nine and a half years at a four point six percent interest rate."

"That's some pretty accurate numbers kid." Tanaka said in a warning tone.

"The numbers are irrelevant;" I said. "It's the precision and detail that put you in control." Dayumn, I really am good at this. "This gives an impression that you are smarter than you actually are, and that you have thought this decision through and are planning ahead of the game. The rates are tough but fair, and easily payable. The share allows you to have a strong say in how the company is run, and allowing them to buy it back in the future means you are considering their wellbeing as well as your own, which makes them more likely to trust and obey you."

Tanaka nodded and lifted his phone out of his pocket. It was on speaker phone to someone the whole time. "You heard the kid. Do it."

_\_ "But- but sir-!" _\_

"Do it. That is my decision." Tanaka hung up and looked at me. "Kid… how would you like a job?"

SMASH

Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Devil Arcana…

Why did that not surprise me? "Sure, why not?"