Author's Notes: And now the game properly begins. Sort of... I mean, you get full control over the team now at night, but the day is still... limited...

~21 APRIL 2009~

The next morning, Minato found himself heading to campus himself. He stepped off train and took a deep breath as he fixed his headphones. "In the light men're crossing over lone shadows~ Wearing veiled slight hopes for intimacy~ Want to be close~" He hummed along as he tried hard to not think about the exchange he had with Hamuko as they returned to the dorm after their first venture into Tartarus. "To be close," Minato muttered under his breath when he realized the song he was listening to wasn't helping. He stopped walking and stepped to the side of the road as he took off his headphones. No, I have to handle this myself. I can't rely on her for this.

Minato closed his eyes as he remembered the Hamuko's confused expression when he told her that she wouldn't have to wake him today since he'd be heading to school early. "But I've been waking you up to get to school for the past ten years! Nii-san, is there something wrong?"

"No," he had replied. "I just want to check something out at school before classes start."

"A club? Or maybe a friend?" She frowned at that. "No, you don't have many friends and none of the clubs are currently open."

Minato gave her a deadpanned frown. "Yes, I know. All the 'friends' I have are also yours." He shook his head. "I just want to check something out. Alone." He emphasized this so his sister wouldn't pester him too much about it.

Hamuko sadly watched as he began to retreat into his room. "You know I don't like it when you leave me alone…" she quietly whispered.

Minato stopped as he sensed the fear in her voice. His hand rested on the doorknob as he had been about to close his door. "I'm not leaving you," he said in a low voice. "I just have some things to work out on my own first."

"And just what are those things exactly?" Hamuko demanded to know. She never got a reply because in the next instant, the door had already shut her out from her brother.

Minato sighed to himself as he continued his journey towards Gekkoukan. Maybe I was too short with her, but it's not like I can actually explain it to her. I barely understand all this myself. Between that laughing Reaper on Ikutsuki, the faint Reapers around all of SEES, the mini Reaper boy visiting me, and the Tartarus Reaper I have my hands full keeping track of what forms of Death are around me. It's like anyone can die at any moment and I don't need her to complicate things anymore than necessary. I don't need anyone else involved with this.

He didn't realize he was at the school gates, but when he finally noticed, another student called out to him. It was a boy in his class with short brown hair and dark brown eyes. He smiled at Minato as he approached the blue-haired boy. "Hey, you're Minato, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

He smiled as he matched his pace to Minato's. "Man, I knew it. I heard from Junpei that you're pretty close with Yukari-san. What's up with that? Well, I guess it doesn't matter." He shrugged. "I'm looking for someone with a little more experience anyway. By the way… I'm Kenji Tomochika. There's a morning assembly, so we better hurry."

Minato followed the brunet to the auditorium and noticed there were a lot of empty seats since they were the first ones there. They sat in the general area where their class was assigned and spent the rest of the morning just talking. Rather, it was Kenji talking while Minato was forced to put up with it.

Yukari was surprised when Hamuko came down the stairs alone. "Huh? Where's your brother?"

"He already left," Hamuko replied with a frown. "He's been so weird lately." Maybe he just needs his space? But he normally doesn't push me away. He knows how much I hate being alone…

Junpei looked up at her after he placed his bowl in the sink. "What? Is he upset you took charge last night instead of him?"

"I think that's just you, Junpei," Yukari shook her head.

Hamuko frowned. "No, it's not that. Whenever it comes to these sorts of situations, I always take point. Nii-san prefers being in the back. It makes it easier for him to do whatever he wants."

"Ah, so the lone wolf type, eh?" Junpei smirked.

"I guess you can say that," the red-eyed girl put on a small smile. It's more that it makes it easier for him to watch out for everyone and jump in when necessary. She mentally frowned at herself. Which is why I need to make sure someone is keeping an eye on him when I can't…

The three arrived at the campus and Yukari noticed all of the students heading towards the auditorium. "Oh! I almost forgot. There's an assembly today! Let's hurry up and find seats."

"Maybe Minato saved us some?" Junpei pointed out.

Hamuko laughed and shook her head. "Lone wolf, remember? We'll be fine. Let's just hurry!"

During the assembly, the principal shared a few words of encouragement and gave a speech on what it meant to be a youth. It was similar to his speech from the Welcoming Ceremony, but to no one's surprise, it was more redundant and fared worse than his first lecture. The entire school body groaned in relief as a student took the podium.

"That concludes the main portion of today's assembly. Next, we'll hear a word from the Student Council. Please welcome the new President, Mitsuru Kirijo from Class 3-D."

Mitsuru nodded as she took the stage. "Thank you."

Yukari frowned as she looked up towards the red-haired senior. "So, she did get elected. Well… I guess she IS the most popular girl in school."

Junpei nodded. "You can say that again! There's like some kinda aura around her… Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?"

"Pretty much," Hamuko nodded. She stared up at the stage for a while before sitting up in slight surprise. "Wait, when did we hold elections?"

The two looked at Hamuko in confusion before Yukari remembered something. "Oh, right. Elections for student council were held during that week you were in the hospital."

Junpei looked at Hamuko in surprise. "H-huh? The hospital?" He was about to question his upbeat classmate about it but the audience quickly became quiet in anticipation of Mitsuru's speech.

Mitsuru looked out over the crowd and took a deep breath before beginning to speak. "As I begin my term as Student Council President," she spoke with great confidence and determination, "I'd like to share with you my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school. However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment." Hamuko saw a familiar blue-haired boy a few rows in front of her straighten himself up in his seat as he listened. "That is why we must restructure our daily lives to accommodate this lofty goal. I'd like each of you to dig deeply into your well of motivation, and re-evaluate your convictions… To imagine a bold new future without losing sight of the realities around you. That is the key. I am certain that many of you have your own visions of the future. For us to reap the full benefits of our education, your participation, ideas, and enthusiasms are essential. Thank you." As Mitsuru climbed down from the stage, waves of murmurs swept through the audience.

Junpei stared at the empty podium with wide eyes. "Dang… That was freakin' amazing… Hey," he turned to Hamuko. "Did you understand what she was talking about?"

"Of course I did!" Hamuko replied, impressed by their senior's public speaking skills.

"Huh? Seriously!? Man, you're smart… Sure didn't sound like somethin' a high schooler would say… If it was anyone else, we'd be laughin' our asses off."

Hamuko smiled at that. That's true, she thought to herself as she imagined her brother trying to pull that speech off. Speaking of which, she saw the blue-haired boy get up from his seat as he made his way to their classroom. Since the rest of the school was emptying the stadium, Hamuko quickly got up to go after him. "Minato!"

The boy stopped and turned to face her. He tilted his head to the side. "Hm?"

The red-eyed girl finally reached him. "What'd you think of Mitsuru-senpai's speech?"

The boy frowned as he looked away. "It was good."

"That's it?" Hamuko was disappointed in his answer, but did her best to contain it. Despite her best efforts, the older twin sensed her internal frown.

"No," he plainly replied. "It was actually brilliant. 'Change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment'," he quoted. He scoffed at himself. "I think I understand it a bit better now…"

"Understand what?" Hamuko was confused by her brother's strangely self-deprecating smile.

"It's nothing," Minato simply replied before turning his back on her. "Better get to class before we're late."

Minato exited the building alone and was just about to put on his headphones when some loud squealing made him flinch. What's going on? He looked around and noticed a flock of girls surrounding Akihiko. Oh… Okay… Poor Sanada-senpai…

More girls came out of the building behind him and one eagerly pointed at the white-haired senior. "Look, it's Akihiko-senpai!"

Her friend looked around frantically. "Where!? Oh, there he is!" She spotted their idol and the two let out a scream.

Minato winced as he stepped away from the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Junpei and Hamuko coming out. They greeted him with a smile before the capped junior noticed the crowd around Akihiko.

"Have you noticed how popular Akihiko-san is with the ladies? Man, take a look at that… I hear they're always swarming Akihiko-senpai like that." His smile grew wider. "I didn't use to talk to him much, but now I've got a good excuse. I know he's the captain of the boxing team, but… Who woulda thought he'd be such a chick magnet!? I mean, come on! You don't even see girls flock like that on TV! I wonder where they're going…"

"Does it really matter?" Minato asked as he glared at the loud mess. "All the noise they make is giving me a headache." He looked over to Hamuko and saw she was giggling as she watched Akihiko struggle through the swarm. "Is Akihiko really that 'hot'?"

Hamuko shook her head. "He's not 'hot' per se. He's good-looking for sure, but it's a type of good-looking between 'cute' and 'hot'." Hamuko nodded as she finally settled on the category she thought the senior belonged in. "Yeah. I'd say he's definitely the handsome-type."

Junpei looked at the twins in surprise. "Wait, is this some sort of 'girl talk'?" He turned towards Hamuko with a smile. "What type am I?"

"Goofy-type," Minato quickly replied.

"What!? That can't be it," Junpei frowned.

Hamuko giggled. "No, he's right. You've got a humor-based charm." She gave her brother a light-hearted glare. "But we're discussing types based on appearances so I'd say you belong in the 'laid-back' category."

"Then what about him?" Junpei pointed at the blue-haired boy.

Minato looked away nervously. "It's none of your business."

Sensing it must have been either embarrassing or unflattering, Junpei gave Hamuko his best puppy-dog pout. "Come on, tell me!"

The girl was about to answer but Akihiko finally got to them. "Hey, are you guys free this afternoon?"

Suddenly distracted, Junpei turned towards their senior. "Huh? Who, us!? I… guess so…" Eyeing the girls behind the white-haired boy, he suddenly pumped himself up. "I mean, hell yeah! Whatcha got in mind!?"

"I want the three of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the police station. See ya there."

"Th-the police station? You mean, we're not hangin' out with your friends…?" Disappointment grew on the capped boy's face.

"Who, these girls?" Akihiko knit his eyebrows together. "I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache." Minato gave him a sympathetic grunt. "Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Don't keep me waiting."

As Akihiko passed the group of girls, the majority began to cry. "Aww… Why can't he be more friendly?" one sighed.

"But, that's what makes him so cool!" Another defended him.

Minato made a face. I'll never understand generic-type girls. Mindless sheep…

Junpei crossed his arms. "Man, how can he not know their names!? I mean, seriously! Just look at them!" He turned back to the twins. "Well, I guess we gotta go…" His shoulders sank a little. "Sheesh, talk about putting a damper on a guy's afternoon."

Hamuko pulled on his cap. "Aw, cheer up, Junpei. There's always next time. Let's hurry before Minato leaves us behind," she pointed at the blue-haired boy going on ahead of them.

Minato shook his head as the two caught up. He led the way to the mall and curiously looked at the bulletin board outside the station.

Junpei looked at him oddly. "Dude, let's hurry up and check this out."

"Mm," Minato responded.

"This had better be good," Junpei opened the door into the Police Station and saw Akihiko speaking with the officer.

"Thank you, Sir. Oh, these are the guys I was talking about earlier," Akihiko pointed to the three juniors. The officer stared the three of them down, but the twins were unfazed. Junpei seemed to be shaking in place though. "I was waiting for you guys. This is Officer Kurosawa. He helps keep our squad well-equipped. And, this is from Ikutsuki-san…" Akihiko held up a bundle of cash.

"R-really!?" Junpei brightened at the sight of money. "Sweet!"

The three got 5,000 yen each and Minato blankly stared at it. That's it? What's it even for?

As if on cue, Akihiko answered the boy's unspoken question. "You can't fight something empty-handed, so find something you like. Officer Kurosawa has connections… But, these things still cost money."

Officer Kurosawa nodded. "Of course they do. Nothing in life is free."

"I realize that," Akihiko said as he passed the three juniors. "Well, I'll see you later. Thanks again."

The three looked back towards the police officer and he continued to stare them down. "I've been informed about you three. My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to know something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right."

Hamuko nodded in understanding. "I see. So what do you have?"

The twins were shown an array of weapons but Junpei stared at the money he received. "Pshh, only 5,000 yen…" He gave the twins an apologetic smile as he pointed to the door. "I'm gonna take off, since I'm in a bad mood now… Later."

Minato studied the prices and lifted up a sword to test its weight. For once, I agree with Junpei. He handed his share of money to Hamuko. "I'll head out too. If you end up getting something, prioritize defense first. A good weapon means nothing if you can't use it."

"Got it," Hamuko nodded as she took her brother's advice and began examining the various pieces of armor.

Minato left the police station and finished reading the bulletin board. The news posted wasn't very interesting, but he did see that there were more and more notices about Apathy Syndrome and the Lost appearing here and there around the city. I guess we'll figure out a way to fix those later, he said, walking towards the café. He was about to enter when he noticed Escapade was open. Isn't it a bit early for a nightclub to be opening its doors?

He remembered the fortune teller he met before and felt curious. Before he realized it, he was in the nightclub. A bouncer eyed him suspiciously. "Sorry, but you're a bit too young to be in here, son."

"Oh, I was told by a fortune teller to stop by anytime."

Minato watched as the man's eyes go wide. "Oh, Den Mother invited you? Well, don't make a scene."

"Sure thing," the boy said as he went down the stairs and entered the dark club. He spotted the familiar lady sitting at a table in a corner and as if she foresaw his arrival, she smiled and waved him over.

"So you've come."

"Yeah," Minato curtly replied.

"Do you remember what I told you before?" Minato nodded. "So you've taken my words to heart. Would you still like to know your fortune?"

"Yes, please." He focused his blue eyes on the crystal ball sitting on the table.

"Very well," the woman's smile slightly grew. She began her reading and Minato watched as smoke filled the crystal, taking the shape of his Evoker. "You have pulled fate's trigger… The bullet passes through many," half of the smoke continually shifted its shape to match multiple Shadows while the other half took the form of Orpheus before shifting into what Minato assumed were other Personas, "heading directly to its target… What target that may be, however, is unknown to me…" A large black figure with wings engulfed the ball as it smiled at Minato. "You must find that out for yourself…" Soon the orb cleared up and the fortune teller looked back towards her customer. "Farewell, then… May your future be bright…"

Minato nodded in thanks as he left the nightclub. He stared at his Velvet Key for a few seconds before smirking to himself. So the key is in expanding on my Personas. Time to test Igor's claims for myself. Empty but full of infinite possibilities…

Mitsuru looked up as Minato returned to the dorm. "Welcome back," she greeted him. "Perfect timing… I'd like to speak to you for a moment. Regarding our exploration of Tartarus… Akihiko is still on the mend, so for now, I'd like for you to lead the team."

Minato looked at her in surprise. "But wouldn't Hamuko do a better job? She led all of the battles yesterday, after all."

"I based my decision on my analysis of your battles last night. While I agree that Arisato was better at directing, you were the one who was able to calmly assess the situation and dictate the flow of the investigation." Mitsuru smirked at the younger boy. "No matter how well you try to hide it, your talents will eventually reveal themselves to others who are searching for it." Seeing as the boy was uncomfortable with such praise, Mitsuru stared at him with understanding. "I have already discussed this with your sister and she said it is ultimately your decision whether you wish to take the lead or not. However, we did come up with a compromise where, if it makes you more comfortable, we will assign Arisato as field leader and you as a co-leader of sorts, or vice versa."

"No, I'm fine with that arrangement," Minato thought it through. "I work best from behind-the-scenes anyways. This way, explorations will more or less be similar to the how we styled it yesterday."

"Very well," Mitsuru nodded.

"Is there anything else?" Minato asked.

The redhead thought about it. "You never know when a powerful enemy might appear, like the one you faced the other day. It's best to be prepared, or else you may find yourself in a difficult situation. So, whenever you'd like to explore Tartarus, just let me know, and I'll gather everyone there. Also, since I'm sure there are other things you will need to take care of, you may go out at night if you need to." Minato nodded in understanding. "Well, that's it. Keep up the good work."

"I will," the boy responded. "Um, if it's not too much trouble, is it possible for us to visit Tartarus tonight? There is something I want to test for myself."

Curious, Mitsuru nodded as she headed toward the reception office to notify the others to come down before the Dark Hour.

Hamuko was surprised when she received a text from Mitsuru saying they'd be going to Tartarus again. Even more surprising was the fact that Minato accepted to be her co-leader. The two stood side by side in the entrance of Tartarus, in front of Mitsuru's communications station, and listened as she briefed them on how exploration would work.

"As we explore Tartarus, this will be our temporary base of operations," she began. "I found out something about Tartarus. A few floors up, there's a barricade preventing you from going any higher. The tower seems to have a number of these interspersed amongst its floors. I know I told you that the layout changes each day, but these barriers seem to be in fixed locations. Therefore, I'd like you to try and reach the first barricade. I'm counting on you."

Minato sharply nodded as he rested his sword on his shoulder. "We'll get the job done." The confidence in his voice made Hamuko wonder what going on in his mind.

"Good, prepare your team and be careful."

Hamuko followed Minato towards the foot of the stairs where Yukari and Junpei were waiting for them before he stopped. "Hey, Hamuko. I'm going to head to the Velvet Room for a while. There's something I need to check on. Keep them busy, will you?"

"Sure thing," she replied as she continued ahead of him. She smiled at her friends. "Are you two ready?"

"Yeah!" Junpei said, pumping himself up. "We're the ultimate team here! An inspiring leader does wonders, you know?"

"I'll do my best," Hamuko chuckled, dubious of what he was implying. The younger twin might be the one actively leading the team, but it was Minato who was the de facto leader. Of course, only Mitsuru knew that though.

"Where's your brother anyways?" Yukari asked as she adjusted the tension on her bow.

Hamuko quickly came up with an excuse since the two couldn't see the Velvet Room. "He's a bit picky about his weapon. You might not think it by looking, but he's pretty amazing with just about anything you hand him. By the way, the rash guards I got from Officer Kurosawa aren't too flimsy, are they?"

Junpei readjusted his said piece of armor. "Nah, it should be fine. If Officer Kurosawa was selling it, it should be, right?"

"I hope so," Yukari frowned as she looked down at her rash guard. "Maybe it'd help if I wore a jacket over this."

"You have to keep in mind mobility," Minato plainly said as he came up to them.

Yukari let out a scream. "You surprised me!"

Minato ignored her accusation and pointed at her armor. "If you're not comfortable wearing just that, you can wear your jacket over it, but it might slow you down. Then again, you're using a bow so you'd probably be spending most of the time in the back line. And since you're also the only one with healing abilities, it would be in our favor to make sure you take the least amount of damage as possible."

Yukari blinked at him before realizing he was just considering what would work best for her during the exploration. She frowned as she looked back down. "No, you're right. I should put something on over this."

"That goes for the rest of us," Hamuko nodded as she put on her uniform jacket. "A good weapon means nothing if you can't use it, after all." She smirked at her brother as she quoted him.

Once they were ready, they entered the labyrinth. Just like the previous night, Hamuko led the way as Minato trailed behind them. The small group managed to get to the fifth floor without problems before Hamuko sensed something was different about this floor.

"Senpai?" she spoke into her headset. "This floor isn't like the others we've been going through."

"No, it isn't. Stay sharp everyone. Three large Shadows are blocking the way. It looks like there's no way around them. You'll have to fight."

"Alright. Please scan it as soon as we engage it, Senpai," Hamuko responded. She turned to everyone. "Everyone, let's go!"

Minato nodded and remained in place as the other three charged forward. Once close enough, Yukari fired an arrow at one of the large birds. It fell to the ground immediately and he smirked at their luck for quickly identifying its weakness.

Hamuko noticed too and held up a hand to signal for Junpei to stop. "Yukari, try to get the others down, too!"

"Right!" Yukari managed to down another one, but the last one was too quick. She tried her best to aim, but the bird flew out of the way as she fired. As her arrow stuck itself into one a pillar, the bird dove straight for her. Yukari put up her arms in front of her but a flash of blue hair swept in front of her. "Minato!" The boy had already begun moving when he knew the girl couldn't get a steady aim.

Minato threw himself at the bird as it lunged towards them. The Venus Eagle dug its talons into the boy's arm and pulled. Hamuko's eyes went wide as she saw blood dripping down her older brother's arm. "Nii-san!" She called out to him as she started towards him, pulling out some medicine from her bag. "Get away from there!"

"Stay where you are!" Perfect chance for me to try something, Minato thought as he pulled out his Evoker and pointed it to his head. "Persona!" Instead of Orpheus as Hamuko had expected, a new Persona erupted from the boy's mind.

A fairy fluttered in front of the boy and giggled. "I am thou… Thou art I…" She circled the boy and a glowing light wrapped his injured arm. When the Persona disappeared, Hamuko noticed that the scratch was completely gone. All that remained was his tattered sleeve and some dried blood.

While the twins were preoccupied, Junpei slashed the Shadow that was still actively flying around. "Hey! Get your head back in the game!"

"R-right!" Hamuko nodded as she brought the blade of her weapon up from the floor.

The other two birds quickly got back up, but before they were given a chance to do anything, Yukari downed them once more. Minato worked to corral the troublesome Shadow into a good position for her and she gave him a signal to move aside. She finally downed the remaining Venus Eagle. Yukari gave Hamuko a smirk. "Now's our chance for an All-Out Attack!"

Hamuko got into a ready position. "Everyone, let's go!" she signaled them.

Yukari initiated the attack as she leapt into the air while firing a barrage of arrows. "Lemme at 'em!" The three others jostled the Shadows around and immediately retreated backwards to separate the distance between them and the Shadows. A Shadow weakly tried to grab at them, but Minato preempted it with a swift flick of his wrist.

"Good work weakening them," Mitsuru's voice echoed through the halls. "I finished my scan. Refrain from using any fire skills."

"Got it," Junpei said when it was his turn to strike. He put his Evoker to his head and pulled the trigger. "Hermes! Cleave it in half!"

An armored man with metal wing-shaped fixtures attached to his arms emerged and cut through one of the eagles. The Shadow fell to the grown and quickly disappeared.

"Two more enemies!" Mitsuru notified the other three as they tried to fend off the remaining Shadows.

"Yukari! Down them!" Hamuko ordered.

Yukari managed to get one and the Shadow disintegrated in defeat. She tried to get the last one, but it was too fast. Her arrow missed and she turned towards Minato expectantly. "Minato!"

Minato already had his Evoker to his head as he focused on his target. "Forneus!"

This time a demonic stingray erupted from his mind. It let out a roar as it cast an ice spell on the last Venus Eagle. Frozen in place, Junpei and Hamuko took the chance to finish it off.

Hamuko high-fived Junpei as the battle ended. "Good work, everyone."

Minato spun his Evoker in his hand before putting it back into his holster. "Not bad," he said, satisfied with the results.

They continued through the floor before they came across a strange machine. Mitsuru sensed it too. "Hold on. Can you check that out?"

The four walked towards it and curious, Minato placed his hand on it. "What is this?" It lit up at his touch and before he realized it, he found himself back at the entrance.

Mitsuru saw him reappear and immediately spoke into her transceiver. "As I thought, it's a teleport device. Use it to return to the lobby. You've done well for the night."

Hamuko was the first to return and she hugged her brother as soon as she saw him. "Geez! Don't just up and disappear like that!"

Yukari and Junpei were right behind her. "Come on, you shouldn't worry your sister," Junpei frowned.

"Sorry," Minato shrugged. "I didn't expect that to happen."

"Still, you were amazing today." Yukari smiled at the blue-haired boy. "What was that you did in that last fight? Those weren't the same Persona as you were using last night."

"No, they weren't," Hamuko frowned. "You managed to use other Personas in that fight."

"Multiple Personas?" Mitsuru crossed her arms. "How interesting. Is it unique to Yuki or can anyone freely switch their Personas?"

Minato looked up at the senior. "No, Hamuko can do it too, but I don't think everyone else can. It's hard to explain, but I think it has to do with how we awakened to the Dark Hour."

"Yes, you two were very unique in that none of the normal side effects affected you. It is as if you two were naturally accustomed to it from the beginning."

That's one way to put it, Hamuko thought to herself as her brother was actually using the senior's initial assumption about them to mislead her. She wasn't about to correct her since she didn't quite understand it all herself.

"Well, I suppose we can call today's expedition a success. Let's return."

"Yeah, I'm beat," Yukari started for the exit but stopped to give Minato a grateful smile. "If it weren't for you defending me back there, I'd probably be in worse shape. So thanks."

Minato shook his head. "Whatever." He looked over to the Velvet Room and looked over to Mitsuru. "Hamuko and I will put everything away, so you should head back first."

Mitsuru nodded as she turned off her portable console. "Very well. I expect you to be back soon though."

Hamuko nodded. "We will."

Junpei handed Minato his sword. "Thanks, dude. I'll see ya back at the dorm."

When everyone was done, the two carried the equipment to the dedicated closet Mitsuru had reserved for SEES. Hamuko watched her brother curiously as they made sure to reorganize their inventory.

"So can you finally tell me what's been on your mind?" The girl asked as she carefully set Yukari's bow into its case. "You've been avoiding us for a while now, nii-san. I was beginning to think that you were trying to distance yourself from me."

"No, that's not it," Minato shook his head. "The Reapers I keep sensing around SEES, they come and go but they're persistently there. Even around you… I don't want to see that. I'm sorry if I've been ignoring you. You must have been lonely, huh?"

"Well, I had Junpei and Yukari to keep me company," Hamuko softly smiled at him. She was relieved when her brother was finally acting like his normal self.

"That's good," her older brother sighed in relief. "There were also things I needed to figure out. Decisions I had to make for myself. What I wanted to do… What I needed to do… Stuff like that…" The older boy let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

Hamuko quickly shook her head. "That's not true at all, nii-san!" She looked to the ground and frowned. "You're the best big brother in the world. And to be fair, I was putting a lot of pressure on you too. I'm sorry…"

Minato wrapped his arms around her. "It's alright, Hamuko. You don't have to feel bad. I told you… It's just a problem I had with myself. You know me better than anyone. I'm not good with the others, but when it comes down it, I'll definitely still be there. We're a team, after all."

The shorter girl lifted her arms and tightly gripped her brother's jacket. "Yeah," she whispered. "There was another thing too. I had a dream where I saw you speaking to a boy about 'the end of everything'. I got afraid that you'd end up leaving me alone."

"You know I'd never do that," Minato gently murmured. "Besides, we signed a contract. This is the path we chose and we promised that we'd do this together." The older twin slowly let go of his sister and smiled. "Speaking of which, there's something I want to show you in the Velvet Room. Igor and Elizabeth explained to me all sorts of stuff and I want to try something with the new Personas we found."

Curious, Hamuko followed her brother and took out her Velvet Key. She entered the Velvet Room and saw Minato approach Elizabeth to discuss something. The attendant slyly smirked at him as his hand wandered down to his Evoker. Wanting to know what they were discussing, the younger twin went towards them only to be called over by Igor.

"Ah, there you are. Welcome to the Velvet Room. Well… I suppose it's time for me to explain what I really do here." Igor pointed at the Evoker in Hamuko's holster. "It is my job to create new Personas. But in order to do so, I must fuse your Persona cards together… In other words, I shall merge them into a single Persona. Furthermore, if you've established a Social Link, you may be able to create an even stronger Persona. So, as you accumulate cards, please bring them to me."

Beside him, Theodore stepped forward and bowed. "How may I be of assistance, my dear guest?"

"I don't actually know," Hamuko honestly replied. "I guess I should fuse a new Persona, but I don't know how to go about that."

"It should be simple enough," Minato said as he took his place beside his sister. He pulled out his Evoker and a few cards materialized from the contraption. "I don't have that many Personas, but we can probably do something with them."

Hamuko took out her Evoker and her eyes widened at the few cards she had. "Huh… Orpheus, Apsaras, Angel, Alp, and Omoikane." She looked over at her brother's cards. Besides the three she had seen him use, it appears that he also had Nekomata and Ara Mitama. "So we just pick two cards and fuse them together?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Just hand over the cards you wish to fuse and we will handle the rest. Oh, I wonder what your first fusion will be. This will be interesting," the girl giggled as she gave the two an innocent smile. "Might I come up with a suggestion for an appropriate Persona?"

"Elizabeth, my dear sister, perhaps we should let them decide on their own," Theo nervously told her only to duck behind Igor when she cast her golden eyes on him. "Or continue with your advice. You have splendid words of wisdom after all."

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Theo," Elizabeth wagged a finger at him.

Igor ignored the siblings as he revealed a fusion chart for the twins. "These are the currently available fusions for your set of cards. As you can see, you are limited in your choices, but as you get stronger, the possibilities will expand."

Hamuko nodded in understanding as she saw many of the combinations available led to Personas they were already holding. "I see." She pointed at a new Persona. "How about that one, nii-san? Devil Arcana, Lilim."

"Then I'll go with the Hermit Arcana, Yomotsu Shikome," Minato decided. "It'll take Orpheus, but you'll still have your Orpheus. It would be best if we kept a wide variety of Persona."

"Yeah, it never hurts to be prepared for the future," Hamuko agreed.

The two watched as Igor set up the tarot spread for them. He accepted their cards and smiled as they fused together. Hamuko caught her new card as it gently drifted into her hand. Minato studied his as he nodded in thanks to the long-nosed man. Igor smiled and waved at them as they left the Velvet Room. "I await your next visit."

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

"Hey, Junpei," Hamuko smiled at the returning boy from the kitchen.

"Oh, hey." Junpei sat at the counter and watched her cook. Seeing her brother was nowhere to be found, he asked her a question. "Where's Minato?"

"He's still out," she shrugged.

"Perfect," the capped boy smiled. "So about what we were talking about before. The thing about dating types. What's your brother's?"

Hamuko giggled. "You're really curious, aren't you?"

"It's his fault for looking so suspicious, dude."

The red-eyed girl turned around to get something out of the pantry. "Okay, I'll tell you. He's a bishie-type."

Junpei burst out in laughter. "Oh man! That's rich! I can totally see it, too. Boy, that's embarrassing." He stood up as he started for his room. "That makes me feel a whole lot better. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

Hamuko waved back at him as she carefully diced some vegetables. It doesn't help that nii-san has Mom's face. He looks like an older version of cute little Nao-chan. She paused as she looked at the package the twins were planning to send to their Grandfather. It was decorated with all sorts of designs of flowers and butterflies. "He's so silly to design it that way when the two of them hate stuff like that," she shook her head.

Final Notes: Due to my bias for cool characters, that's the type I personally give Minato. He is a pretty boy though... There's no way around that... I'm going to be scaling levels based on a mix of Shadow levels and what block is currently accessible to the team. I'm not really going to be too focused on Tartarus, but because it's still the beginning, I might as well show our protagonists learn mechanics... More mechanics next chapter too... So look forward to that, I guess.