Author's Notes: And finally we hit actual gameplay. Well, it's a tutorial, but close enough.

~20 APRIL 2009~

Yukari let out an audible yawn as she turned towards Minato. "I thought I was gonna fall asleep in there…" She saw Minato stretching towards the ceiling and laughed. "Something tells me you did."

"Whatever," the boy responded. He stood up from his seat and was about to reach over for his bag when the classroom door opened.

"Oh, it's Mitsuru-senpai," Hamuko noticed.

The redhead looked around the classroom before seeing the trio of friends. "Can I have a minute?" The three nodded and she wasted no time. "Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone. I'll save the details for later. See you there." As quickly as she arrived, she left, leaving the three juniors slightly confused.

"That was fast," Hamuko finally said.

Yukari frowned. "She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us."

Behind them, Junpei looked at the girl with a smirk. "Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense some hostility?"

Hamuko watched as her friend threw the boy a dirty look. Yukari stopped though before turning towards the classroom door. "Well, it's not that I don't like her… She's just…" Realizing who it was she was talking to, she shook her head. "N-never mind. Let's go." She dragged the twins behind her as they left.

Things barely registered for the slightly groggy Minato but he quickly grabbed his bag. He turned towards Hamuko and knit his eyebrows together, but Hamuko shrugged back at him. The entire time they were on the monorail, Hamuko kept a worried eye on Yukari and noticed the faint ghost of a man watching the three of them from afar.

Minato noticed his sister staring at a blank space in the car. "Someone there?" he asked, careful not to let Yukari hear. It was just a precaution as he doubt their friend was paying much attention to them, but it never hurt to be careful.

Hamuko nodded her head as the ghostly man noticed that she could see him. The pale figure made a motion towards the girl beside her and she explained to Minato what he wanted. "He's worried."

"Oh," the boy replied.

The two worriedly stared at their friend and Yukari finally noticed. "Huh? What's wrong?" The train finally stopped and as they stepped out onto the station, Yukari realized she practically took Minato and Hamuko with her against their will. "Oh! Sorry about that," she said, not turning away from the two. "A-about earlier… It's not that I don't like her or anything, y'know?" Minato was slightly confused and Yukari noticed. "Oh, I'm talking about Mitsuru-senpai…" An annoyed expression suddenly appeared on her face. "Why's Junpei always have to talk about stuff that isn't any of his business, huh!? Plus, he says it all in the creepiest, most perverted way. He's like the poster boy for sexual harassment. You know, last year he—"

"Yeah, this isn't something I should be listening to," Minato quickly cut her off. "If you two need me, I'll be… home… I guess." He threw his bag over his shoulder and cast Hamuko a knowing glance before departing.

"Right…" Yukari let out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry." She turned back to Hamuko staring at her worriedly. "Hey, what's with that look?"

"You were thinking about your dad, weren't you?" the red-eyed girl asked.

"Huh? How did you—?" Yukari stopped herself. "I guess it doesn't matter how you knew, but yeah, I was."

"Come on," Hamuko smiled gently. "Let's get some takoyaki before going home. My treat!"

"Thanks," Yukari said with a small smile.

The two sat on a nearby bench once they received their order of the freshly fried octopus balls. Hamuko put her hands together and prayed to herself. Curious, Yukari asked her what she was doing. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"Just giving an offering to the spirits," Hamuko said, smiling at the ghostly man that had been following them. "I think it's something nice to do every once in a while. Don't you think? This way, I don't let my parents worry too much about how I'm doing."

"Sure, I guess." Although Yukari didn't quite understand, she put her hands together and closed her eyes.

Hamuko watched as the man placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. He seemed grateful for this and the red-eyed girl nodded in response. When Yukari was done, the two began eating. Hamuko gave the other brunette some time before finally speaking. "Hey, Yukari? You were close to your dad, weren't you?"

The question came seemingly out of nowhere, but Yukari nodded her head sadly. "Yeah." She tried to cheer herself up as she let out a shaky laugh. "You could say I was a bit of a daddy's girl."

"I see," Hamuko nodded. "I bet he loves you a lot."

"He did," Yukari smiled. "You know, this might sound a bit weird, but sometimes, I get the feeling that he's watching over me. With this Dark Hour stuff, I know he'd want me to be strong."

"No, that's not weird." The red-eyed girl looked over towards Yukari's father and saw that he was smiling proudly at his daughter. "I think that's what he wants too. It's our job to end the Dark Hour."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" The girl frowned. "I joined for such a selfish reason. I just wanted to know more about what happened when my dad died. It's hard for me to face Mitsuru-senpai when I know her family had something to do with it, but I don't dislike her. It's just… I don't know." She looked up at Hamuko hopefully. "You get what I'm saying though, right? You're the same as me, after all."

Hamuko slightly frowned as she remembered her brother's words from before. "You said that before at the hospital. After you left, nii-san said you were a bit wrong. After all, we always had each other. It must have been hard for you to always be on your own."

Yukari said nothing as she lowered her gaze. "I guess you wouldn't really understand then, huh?"

"Probably not, but that doesn't mean you have to always be alone," Hamuko pointed out. "After all, we're friends, aren't we? And even though nii-san won't admit it, he's your friend too. That's why he went on ahead of us."

This put a smile on Yukari's face. "Even he noticed, huh?"

"I told you before that he's the best older brother anyone could ever want. You might not have a brother to count on, but you have us." Hamuko winked at Yukari. "Us second year girls gotta stick up for each other, right?"

"Is that really how I sound like?" Yukari teased her red-eyed friend. The two laughed before Yukari managed to pull herself together. "Listen, thanks for today. Tell your brother I said thanks too."

Hamuko lightly laughed. "I don't know if he'd accept it but I'll tell him."

"Some dances wanna put you in a trance~" Minato silently counted to the song's beat as he waited for the girls to return. "Let's party, let the boogie hit your body~" His entire body was shaking as he impatiently stared at the stairs. When he caught a glimpse of his sister coming up towards him, he got to his feet and stopped his player. He finished off the rest of his searing hot coffee before throwing it away. "So?" He spoke low enough so Yukari couldn't hear.

"I took care of it," Hamuko nodded.

"Good." He gave Yukari a deadpan stare as she came towards him. "You two sure took your sweet time."

"Girl talk takes a while, you know?" Yukari smirked at him.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Hamuko noticed her brother was shaking. "Nervous?"

Sure, let's go with that. "A little." He didn't look at her as he replied and instead turned to face the doors leading to the command room. Mitsuru and Akihiko went in just a few moments earlier so they weren't late, but he'd rather get this over with quickly. The blue-haired boy opened the door and let the girls enter first.

"It's okay to leave the door open, Yuki," Mitsuru nodded to him before greeting the girls. Minato nervously obeyed as he propped it open. The redheard turned towards the two younger girls. "Welcome back."

"We were waiting for you." The white-haired senior looked up from his phone as he received a text. "There's someone I want to introduce."

"Huh?" Yukari was a bit confused as she heard the front door to the dorm slam shut. Someone was coming up the steps and judging from the grunting, they were carrying something heavy.

Akihiko looked towards the door and called out to this new person. "Hey, hurry up."

A familiar voice called up to them. "Hold your horses… This is freakin' heavy."

Minato crossed his arms as he recognized the voice to be Junpei's. About time. I was beginning to wonder when he'd join us. Minato greeted him with a smirk as Junpei chuckled.

"Wassup?"

"J-Junpei!?" Yukari shook her head. "Why are YOU here!?"

Akihiko smirked at the younger boy. "This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F. He'll be staying here as of today."

Yukari still couldn't believe it. "He's staying HERE!? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I bumped into him the other night," Akihiko explained. "He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently… I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

"You have the potential!?" Yukari still couldn't believe it as she stared at the capped boy, coming up the stairs. "For real!?"

"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store," Junpei wore a shaky smile as he remembered how Akihiko discovered him, "surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but… man, that's embarrassing! He said that's, ya know, completely normal… in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"

Hamuko tried to remember back to when she first experienced the Dark Hour. "I was okay, though." She looked to Minato to confirm, but Junpei chuckled at her.

"Heeey, don't feel bad! It happens to all us Persona-users," the capped boy reassured her. He looked to Minato. "Right?"

Minato tried to recall too, but shook his head. "Didn't happen to us."

Junpei gave him a frown. "Big deal. It happens to everyone else." He looked at the others standing in the room with wide eyes. "But man, I was shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea. I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know. I bet you're stoked too, right!? Havin' me join…" He smirked at Hamuko and Yukari. "It'd be nice to have another guy around too, wouldn't it?"

"Huh?" Yukari looked at him. "Uh, y-yeah…"

Junpei looked back towards Minato. "So anyway, glad to join the team."

"Let's do our best," Hamuko said with a smile.

"You can count on me!" he winked back at her.

Akihiko nodded and brought everyone back to order. "Well, enough with the introductions. I think we're about ready…"

Junpei looked at their senior in surprise. "Ooh, we're gonna go do something? Sweetness!"

"The Chairman will be here to give us the details soon, so be ready."

As if on cue, Ikutsuki entered the room and smiled at the group of students awaiting his arrival. "I see everybody's here. I'd like your undivided attention." He gestured for everyone to take a seat.

Minato never took his eyes off the man as he waited for everyone to be seated before him. In the end, the couch only had enough space for the other three juniors. Ikutsuki took the armchair situated at the edge of the table since he would be the one speaking. Mitsuru positioned herself in the red cushioned seat to the man's right and Akihiko immediately sat beside her. This left Minato to sit at Akihiko's other side, right across from his sister on the couch.

Perfect, Minato thought as it gave him a good view of everyone else and he was given the opportunity to avoid sitting next to anyone. Given the way he was feeling, he wouldn't know if he could stop his body from shaking. From excitement and nervousness, Minato convinced himself. Not freezing cold… And definitely not fear. The boy's blue eyes narrowed on the Chairman as he lifted his right leg over his left knee and crossed his arms, ready to begin with the meeting.

Satisfied with the arrangements, Ikutsuki nodded his head and began the meeting. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had. But that number recently jumped to six. Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

Junpei made a face. "Tartarus…? What's that? Sounds like toothpaste."

"You haven't seen it, Junpei?" Yukari turned to look at the boy.

The boy looked back at her. "Hm..?"

"It's no surprise," Ikutsuki stated, "since it only appears during the Dark Hour."

"The Dark Hour…?" Being new, Junpei still didn't quite have a handle on things.

Akihiko nodded at him. "Just like the Shadows… Interesting, huh?" He smiled eagerly. "And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."

"Whoa…" Junpei's eyes went wide. "Their nest, huh…?"

"But, senpai…" Yukari gave Akihiko a worried look. "What about your injury?"

Akihiko sheepishly looked down at his arm as Mitsuru glared at him. "Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet," she sternly made sure he was listening to her, "he'll only come as far as the entrance.'

"Yeah, I know." Akihiko seemed a bit disappointed, but he was in no position to disobey.

"Relax," Junpei said confidently. "I've got your backs."

"I'm not so sure about this," Yukari remarked.

Mitsuru turned to Ikutsuki. "What about you, Mr. Chairman?"

"I'll stay here," he replied. "As you know, I can't summon a Persona…"

Minato squinted his eyes at the man as he studied the unique Reaper following him. Instead of the normal, cloaked grim reaper he often saw, this one resembled a jester more than a proper harbinger of death. The skull-faced joker seemed to be laughing at him, but Minato said nothing as everyone was beginning to file out of the command room.

"Minato?" Hamuko noticed he was trailing behind the rest of the group. "Is something wrong?"

"Just remembering a bad joke," he said with a grimace. A really bad one with Death written all over it. But is it taunting me or Ikutsuki?

Junpei stared up at their high school as they waited outside its locked gates. "This is it? THIS is the place? Why HERE?"

Akihiko checked the time on his phone. "Just wait a few minutes. It's almost midnight."

As the scene around them changed, signaling the start of the Dark Hour, the three newest members of SEES stared in disbelief as their high school suddenly grew in height. Different parts of the building shifted as it towered over them menacingly.

Mitsuru gave them the time needed to let it sink in. "This is Tartarus—the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

"Labyrinth…?" Junpei was becoming less certain about this expedition. "What are you talking about!? What happened to our school!?"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal," Mitsuru reassured him.

"This is the 'nest' you were talking about!?" Junpei turned to Akihiko. "But, why!? Why'd our school turn into a giant tower!?"

Mitsuru didn't answer, resulting in Yukari giving their senior a dubious frown.

Junpei shook his head. "You don't know, either?"

Minato stared up at Tartarus and watched as a floating specter circled the higher floors of the tower. Another new type of Reaper I've never seen, he mused. He could hear the sound of chains clinking together in the distance and suppressed the chill that was threatening to run down his spin. Hard to believe Kirijo-senpai doesn't know why, given the school her family owns is being haunted by a Reaper. He looked back towards Mitsuru as she answered Junpei.

"No," the redhead replied.

Yeah, she's lying, Minato thought, but he didn't press her. Hamuko and Yukari seemed to notice too, but the two girls also said nothing.

Yukari tried to come to the senior's defense. "I'm sure it's complicated."

You're hiding something from me too, Minato decided. He looked over to Hamuko and saw sympathetic understanding reflected in her eyes. So, it's personal… I guess I'll have to leave it at that then. He put his hands in his pocket and turned towards the monstrous tower. The boy looked over towards Akihiko who nodded at Yukari.

"Well, maybe now we'll find the answers to our questions. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting, isn't it?" He was shaking just thinking about it. "There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour…"

Mitsuru shook her head at him. "Akihiko. I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today."

"I know," he said with a frown. "You don't have to remind me."

As they entered the lobby, Junpei let out an impressed whistle. "Whoa… It's just as cool on the inside…"

"But, it sure is creepy," Yukari commented.

Mitsuru approached some strange equipment and began setting up a small headquarters for herself. "This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

Akihiko nodded. "First, we'll have you four get a feel for this place. Why don't you go have a look around?"

"What!?" Yukari exclaimed in surprise. "By ourselves!?"

"We're not asking you to go very far," Mitsuru stated, "and I'll be feeding you information from here."

Akihiko looked at the four juniors. "We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

Junpei perked up at the idea of leading the team. "For real? One of us? Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!"

Akihiko ignored the capped boy and looked between the two twins. Ah, jeez. This is actually hard. On one hand, Hamuko is the more forward of the two, but Minato is a natural at evoking his Persona. Unable to make a decision himself, he gave the siblings a serious expression and nodded. "Minato, Hamuko… You're in charge. I'll leave it to you two to sort who has the higher command."

Junpei's face fell. "W-wait, wha..? Why them!? She's a girl," he pointed to Hamuko, "and he doesn't look like a leader!" Junpei flinched when he noticed Minato was glaring at him for trying to insult his sister.

Yukari frowned at Junpei. "Well, they have fought them before…"

"Seriously?" Junpei looked to the twins with surprise.

"That's true," Akihiko stated, "but there's another reason. You two," he turned to Yukari and Junpei. Before the two juniors knew it, Akihiko pulled out his Evoker and pointed it to his own head. "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like they can?"

Surprised by the older boy's actions, Junpei nervously answered. "Y-yeah, of course I can!"

Yukari frowned as she remembered the events of the previous night. "I think so."

"These are Shadows we're talking about here," Akihiko drilled them. "Without your Persona, you're screwed."

"I'm aware of that," Yukari nodded, regaining some confidence.

"All right," Akihiko nodded at the small team. "Let's head inside. Are you ready?"

Hamuko and Minato nodded to each other. The red-eyed girl lifted her naginata from the ground and smiled to their senior. "You betcha!"

Akihiko chuckled at her enthusiasm. "That's the spirit."

The four gathered at the foot of the steps leading to the proper entrance into the labyrinth when Minato felt something faintly tug at his soul. He turned to face the lobby and suddenly noticed a strange blue door just sitting there.

Yukari noticed he was spacing out and absently walking towards the dark corner of the lobby. "What's the matter?"

Hamuko felt the pull too and saw the door. Without realizing it, she had taken out her Velvet Key and it was shining. Minato fit his key into the door and the twins were sucked into the Velvet Room.

Igor greeted them with a smile. "I've been waiting for you. The time has come for you to wield your powers. The tower that you are about to venture into… How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your powers."

Minato used this as a chance to gather more information. "About that door…"

Igor's smile never wavered. "It leads here, although no one but you can see it."

"I see." Minato's mind was racing. Is this also a part of the 'contract'?

Hamuko brought the discussion back to why they were there. "So what is the nature of our powers?"

Igor nodded and willingly answered the girl. "Your powers are unique. It's like the number zero… It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities. You, my dear guests, are able to possess multiple Personas, and summon them as needed. And 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, do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly… Be sure to keep that in mind. My spare time will soon be scarce. 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. Ah, but before I forget… Do you remember the other residents of this room…?" The two-golden eyed attendants stepped forth on either side of him. "Let's bring them out for a proper introduction."

The female attendant approached Minato and gave him a cute curtsy. "My name is Elizabeth. Please treat me and my younger brother well," she said with an unsettling giggle.

Her brother stepped forward towards Hamuko and lightly took her hand. "My name is Theodore, but please, feel free to call me Theo."

The two residents stepped back. "It's a pleasure to meet you," they simultaneously bowed to the twins.

Igor nodded as the two returned to his side. "My assistants will aid you as well. Until then… Farewell."

Minato and Hamuko felt a rush of energy swirl around them as they found themselves back at Tartarus. Minato looked around once more before turning towards his sister. She gave him a reassuring smile as beside her, Yukari called out to Minato.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Junpei noticed Hamuko was also in a slight daze. "Yeah, what's up? You look like a zombie."

"Really?" Hamuko raised an eyebrow at him. "A zombie?"

"That's what you pick to dwell on!?" Junpei frowned before a smile returned to his face. "Ohh, I get it. You're trying to yank my chain here. Don't worry, though! I got you covered whenever you need it, man!"

"Yeah, yeah." Yukari rolled her eyes at the boy. "Whatever. C'mon, let's go." She noticed Minato was still staring into space. "Minato?"

"I opened this door, and…" Minato looked down at his closed hand as he held his MP3 player.

"Huh?" Yukari looked around but didn't see anything. "What door…?"

Junpei frowned at him. "Man, are you loco?"

So they really can't see it, Minato said, releasing his key and letting it hang from his neck. He returned to the rest of the group and tapped his sword against the soles of his shoes. So whatever happens, it'll be all on Hamuko and me…

"Have you been nodding off?" Yukari examined the boy carefully. "You seem kinda out of it."

"Dude," Junpei crossed his arms. "You're s'posed to be our leader. Get your head in the game!"

"Come on," Yukari pointed at the labyrinth's entrance. "Let's go."

They passed through the door and watched as the entrance disappeared behind them. There way out was now gone, leaving them stranded in the middle of a maze.

"So," Junpei began as he looked around them, "this is it, huh…?"

"I hope I don't get lost," Yukari mutteed.

Suddenly Mitsuru's voice echoed through the halls. "Can you all hear me?"

Junpei jumped. "Whoa! Is that you, Senpai?"

"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."

"Wait," Junpei looked around, wondering if there were cameras. "Ya mean, you can see inside here?"

"It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative."

Yukari let out a sigh of relief. "Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better…"

"Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. Practice makes perfect."

Junpei pulled on the bill of his cap. "Right!"

"Got it," Yukari nodded. They heard the feed cut before the girl frowned. "Why is she always like that?" she muttered to herself.

Hamuko gave her a reassuring smile. Minato noticed their exchange, but said nothing. He spun the sword in his hand a few times to loosen his wrist as he prepared himself for battle. He raised an eyebrow towards his sister to let her take point as he remained in the rear.

His sister nodded in understanding and pointed her naginata forward. "Everyone! Let's get started!"

Their first trip into Tartarus went very smoothly. Hamuko watched as Junpei and Yukari appeared from the warp point. Minato came out soon after and she gave him an all clear to let him know the other two were back safely.

Mitsuru applauded their efforts. "Welcome back. So, how was it?"

"No problem," Hamuko smirked.

The redhead smiled back at her junior. "I see. Well if you gained confidence, that's the best thing you could have achieved." She noticed Minato was leaning forward with his hands on his knees. "And you, Yuki?"

Minato felt a shiver run through him as her piercing gaze landed on him. "I'm exhausted," he managed to reply. Minato stood back up and approached Hamuko's side to make sure she wasn't bluffing about her condition.

Junpei smirked. "Wow… I never knew I had that kind of power! We kicked some ass! But damn, I'm beat…"

Yukari shook her head at him. "That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid."

"You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan," Junpei noticed.

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually…"

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour," Mitsuru explained. "You'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry, though, you'll adapt. But, I'm surprised… You all did much better than I expected. At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

"Heh," Akihiko smirked. "We'll see about that."

The image of the Fool Card flashed through Minato's eyes and he nearly toppled over. Thankfully, Hamuko caught him before anyone noticed as they listened to the mysterious voice ringing in their head. "Thou art I… And I am thou… Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Fool Arcana…"

Hamuko smiled at her brother, happy that their first Social Link was going well. She bounded towards the rest of their comrades and joined in on their conversion, but Minato simply watched. The bright smile on his sister's face made something stir within him and he didn't like it at all. Am I jealous that she can just go up to them and start laughing alongside them? Or is it more that I don't want to rely on anyone else but her? He absently lifted his Velvet Key and stared at it. Is this really what a 'bond' is? He thought with a frown. This is the source of our new strength?

~B*O*N*U*S~S*C*E*N*E~

After leaving Yukari and Hamuko behind at the station, Minato was the first back to the dorm. He went up to the fourth floor to check if anybody else had arrived yet, but noticed the command room was empty. He sat on one of the cushioned seats but he didn't have to wait long before he saw Mitsuru coming in.

"Ah, Yuki. Where are Takeba and Arisato?" Mitsuru frowned as she had thought the two girls had left the campus with him.

"They had some short business to attend to," Minato replied, not wanting to reveal too much.

"I see. No matter; I must wait for Akihiko."

The two waited in silence for the rest of their housemates to return. Minato fiddled with his headphones, but refrained from putting them on. It would just be rude to do so right now. He was fine with silence. He put up with it every night during the Dark Hour after all.

Mitsuru frowned as she became uncomfortable with the thought of being alone with the younger boy. She wasn't quite used to the enigmatic junior. Honestly, she found him quite the disturbing child. Aside from when he was eating and sleeping, all of his actions were precise, coordinated, like a machine. Yet he was silent and left no trace, much like a specter. He brilliantly shone yet at the same time, he was shrouded in complete darkness. Her mental image of the blue-haired boy was made worse given the things she had seen from him as she monitored him from the command room during the Dark Hour.

Speaking of which… Mitsuru turned to face the boy. "Yuki, may I ask you something?"

"Sure," Minato shrugged, confused as to what the older girl might need from him.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but the dorm has many surveillance cameras installed," Mitsuru searched for a believable excuse, "for safety reasons of course." The girl swore the boy's eyes lit up as he probably caught her rather obvious lie, but she continued anyways. "The Chairman periodically checks the recordings here," she pointed at the console in the room. "However he noticed that the camera in your room has malfunctioned. Do you know anything about this?"

Well, crap… Minato decided to just honestly answer the senior seeing as he technically did break the camera in his room. "I got curious about it since it seemed to be working during the Dark Hour," Minato shrugged as he nervously looked down at the floor. "I managed to piece it together, but given how advance the technology was, I guess it's still broken, huh?"

"Actually, I haven't checked after it went offline." Mitsuru activated the console and adjusted the monitor to display the feed for Minato's room. Her eyes widened when the camera was fully operational again. "You reverse-engineered it?" Mitsuru stared at him in disbelief. Just who is this boy?

Minato blinked at the screen. "Oh, wow. It works. And here I thought it wouldn't because I was stumped at how its power source worked." The boy frowned as he stared at the rest of the console. "Huh… This is a mess." He began fiddling with the console and fine-tuned the entire machine. "You need to keep something like this well-maintained."

The redhead crossed her arms as she watched him work. "Even the best scientists working for the Kirijo Group had trouble with this sort of technology. How are you…?"

"I don't actually know," Minato paused. I'm not actually this skilled, but this thing is different. I can feel it. Whatever that blue crystal powering this is… It's like it's whispering to me… I just don't get it. He stopped for a moment and stared at his hands. "Kirijo-senpai… Can I ask something? Is it okay if I dismantle the camera in my room again? I'd rather not have a security camera in my room, but I want to also be able to keep the parts and examine them some more."

"I suppose I can work something out," Mitsuru nodded. "Consider it thanks for adjusting the console."

"Cool," Minato returned to his work. "Huh? What's this for?" He absently pressed the curious button and a scene suddenly popped onto the screen. It appeared to be a past recording, but of where, Minato didn't quite recognize. Tiled walls and steam? He watched for a moment before his blood ran cold. Of course he wouldn't recognize it… It was the girls' bathroom! To top it off, someone with long red hair was coming out of the shower. The boy quickly turned away, but the damage was done. Minato nervously started for the exit. "My apologies, Kirijo-senpai!" He tripped over himself and slowly turned to see a livid Mitsuru glaring at him.

Minato didn't really know what happened next. All he knew was that he had been kicked out of the command room, body frozen stiff figuratively and literally. Akihiko came up at that point and winced in understanding. "Looks like Mitsuru just gave you an execution," he sympathetically said. "Should I even ask?"

The blue-haired boy rapidly shook his head. "S-s-so cold…"

"I suggest a hot shower."

"No! No showers!" Minato didn't think his body could tense up any further, but it did. "I-I-I-I'll be r-right b-b-back…" He shuffled towards the stairs.

"Be sure to get something warm to drink!" Akihiko called out to him. The white-haired boy turned towards the command room door and nervously knocked. "Hey, Mitsuru? It's me!" He heard someone approaching the door and he steeled himself for the worst.

Thankfully, whatever happened between the two didn't involve him, so he was glad when Mitsuru nodded over to him as she returned to the console. "Welcome back, Akihiko."

"Checking on the cameras? Did you just talk to Minato about how he tore his apart?"

Mitsuru avoided eye contact with the white-haired boy. "Yes," she lied. "He overstepped his boundaries and I disciplined him for it."

"I think you went a bit overboard, Mitsuru," Akihiko shook his head. "I recommended a hot shower to him, but he flipped out." He saw Mitsuru flipping through all of the different feeds to make sure each camera was in proper condition. The boxer chuckled to himself as he tried to make a joke. "It's not like we'd be watching him as he bathed."

Downstairs, Minato was busy filling up a coffee pot at the sink. He heard a bloodcurdling scream from upstairs and shivered. "I guess two servings of coffee then," he muttered as he let the water boil.

Final Notes: You know... My first thought on meeting Ikutsuki was that he wasn't trustworthy... I myself love puns, but he didn't quite look the part as one to tell good ones so it just raised my suspicions on him even more. Plus, if he stands next to Mitsuru, there is a clear distinction between who you know you should trust and who you shouldn't. Creepy man... So yeah... Hamuko takes point while Minato prefers the rear... That battle arrangement makes sense. Also, Mitsuru's Executions... Poor Akihiko must have gone through quite a few during their middle school days...