Author's Notes: Hrm... You know, maybe I keep waking up early due to stress... Oh well... I wish I could go on a vacation too but eh...

~20 JULY 2009~

Junpei leaned out over the railing of the ferry, catching the awesome ocean breeze. His eyes widened when he saw the island they would be staying at for the next four days. The capped boy laughed at how amazing it all looked. "Awesome! There it is! Ya-ku-shi-maaa!"

Hamuko ran to his side. "It's so pretty!"

Fuuka nodded in agreement. "W-wow, so many tropical plants…! Take a look at that one…" She pointed out a plant to Minato who was leaning over the railing beside her. "Minato-kun? Are you feeling well?"

"Seasickness..." the boy weakly groaned as he closed his eyes. After a deep breath, he felt a bit better so looked up. "I'll be fine once we land."

"That's good," Fuuka smiled at him. She turned back towards the rest of the team but noticed Yukari and Mitsuru were standing on opposite sides of the deck. The two girls blankly stared at the water with identical frowns on their faces. Fuuka worriedly frowned at the tension. "Um…"

Junpei continued to point out what he was seeing to Hamuko before looking at the other two juniors. "I-it's totally amazing, huh! Man, this is so awesome… I'm not even kidding!"

"Junpei-kun," Fuuka gave him a frown.

The capped boy looked at the other passengers on the ship and sighed. Minato crossed his arms as he looked out towards the upcoming beach. The sooner they arrive the better. Although, these were a lot of great shots he could be taking. He lifted the heavy camera hanging around his neck and quickly got to work.

Once Minato began shooting pictures, he didn't put his camera down. Fuuka watched him as he excitedly took as many photos as he could. She'd never seen him so passionate before. The only thing that made him momentarily pause was the great mansion they were brought to, but even then the boy began snapping at the architectural marvel.

"Wow…" Fuuka gasped as they entered.

Junpei agreed. "It's like we're in an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Fabulous…"

A couple of maids approached them and curtseyed to Mitsuru. "Welcome back, Milady," a girl about their age said. She studied the motley group of teens as she respectfully addressed them. "And you must be her schoolmates, correct? Welcome to the Kirijo vacation home. Please follow me."

Yukari blinked a few times. "Um, is this the right place?"

"Dude," Junpei's eyes were wide. "Real-life maids…"

"I knew she was from an important family," Fuuka said, "but this definitely confirms it…"

Hamuko nodded silently as she turned towards her brother. "Minato, come on! You'll have time for pictures later. You look like a tourist."

"But… Such amazing shots…" The boy reluctantly put his camera down as he quickly followed after them. He paused when an older man walked into the foyer from the other direction.

The man stared at SEES before stopping in front of Mitsuru. The girl looked up to the man as she quickly fixed her posture. "It's good to see you."

The man said nothing but he acknowledged her with a firm nod before walking away. Fuuka took a step closer to the other juniors as she whispered to them. "Was that…?"

"…her father?" Yukari finished.

"Dude," Junpei shook his head. "Talk about scary! He's not gonna make us walk the plank, is he?"

Akihiko frowned as he noticed the juniors crowding together. "Don't be stupid…"

Mitsuru suddenly chuckled, making them turn towards her. "We won't be here long, but make yourself at home."

Junpei's face brightened at that. "Sweet! This is gonna rock! Hey, wanna go to the beach? It's right there. Dude, this place rules! Come on, let's go!"

Yukari frowned at the simple boy. "What, already?" She shook her head. "I mean, sure, but let me get changed first!"

"Then, I'll see ya there." Junpei dragged Minato and Akihiko with him towards the door. "I'm not gonna waste a single minute!"

"B-but… My camera…" Minato frowned as he was unwillingly pulled away from the perfect mansion.

"Hey, Junpei," Akihiko frowned. "Stop pulling."

Minato carefully set the lens cover back on his camera and gently put his precious machine into its case. He stretched a little before applying sunscreen to his arms. Beside him, Junpei took off towards the water, kicking up sand behind him.

"Hey, watch it!" the blue-haired boy scolded as he quickly brushed off the rough particles beginning to stick to him.

"Ahh…" Junpei sighed in relaxation. "Got my sandals on… Givin' my feet a chance to breathe… Yup! Summer's here!"

Akihiko looked out towards the water as he readjusted his speedo. "Darn… There's nothing out there I can use as a marker… Too bad. I was hoping for a good swim."

"You must be joking…" Junpei looked at the boxer with wide eyes. "We come all the way to the beach and you're gonna train?"

"What's wrong with that?" the older boy shrugged. "You got a better idea?"

"Damn right, I do! It's summertime at the beach! I've got the perfect activity!" He turned towards Minato who was still hiding out underneath the shade. "Dude! Come out here! You have to enjoy this with us!"

Minato sighed as he trepidly stepped out into the sun. "Fine. I can't stay out too long though. I burn really easily and it doesn't help that I just got over my previous injuries."

"Dude, your shirt!"

"If I don't keep it on, I'm gonna burn!" Minato repeated himself.

"You need to build up your tolerance then, Minato," Akihiko frowned.

"Fine," the blue-haired boy rolled his eyes as he went back to remove his shirt.

"That's the spirit, man!" Junpei cheered. "Woohoo!"

From the beach entrance, Hamuko giggled when she heard her friend yelling. Yukari rolled her eyes. "Ugh, could he BE any louder…? But yikes, what's with Akihiko-senpai's swimsuit…? I can feel my face getting red just looking at it…" The brunette turned towards Fuuka. "Right, Fuuka?"

The shy girl had been too busy watching Minato take off his shirt so didn't quite catch that. "H-huh? What?"

Hamuko giggled at her friend before smirking towards Yukari. "It looks like someone else caught her attention," she nodded towards Minato who was now applying sun block over the rest of his chest. "Fuuka-chan," she looked towards the navigator with a sly smile on her face, "it looks like he needs help getting it on his back. Can you help him for me? Minato's pretty sensitive to sunlight."

"W-what? M-me?" Fuuka tensed up as she looked between the red-eyed girl and her brother. Sensing Hamuko wasn't about to her refuse though, the embarrassed girl nodded. "S-sure."

"You really are something, you know that?" Yukari shook her head at Hamuko. They both heard Minato yelp in surprise but Yukari decided not to get involved as Hamuko began snickering to herself.

Akihiko looked up towards both brunettes as they walked towards the water. "Yo, about time you guys got here." He noticed the uncomfortable expression on Yukari's face. "Something wrong, Yukari?"

"That's a pretty…" Yukari searched for the right word to use. "Small… swimsuit…"

"What, don't you know?" Akihiko crossed his arms. "Swimsuits like this reduce water resistance and—"

"Oh, that's okay…" Yukari gave him a small smile. "It doesn't need to be justified." She noticed Junpei gawking at her so gave him a frown. "Hey Junpei, what's the matter? You look even dumber than usual."

"Man…" he shook his head. "Talk about a feast for the eyes," he nervously chuckled. "Yuka-tan's wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined! Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod!?"

The archer's face went red. "What!?"

"And check out Hamuko!" Junpei smirked at the red-eyed girl. "She's one cute mermaid herself! Those curves she usually keeps covered up are lookin' good! I can't tear my eyes away!"

"Thanks!" Hamuko giggled.

"Hey, whose sister do you think you're talking about?" Minato suddenly appeared, glaring at the capped boy.

Junpei flinched back but his smirk didn't disappear. "Man, the beach is so great. I love this place!"

Fuuka stood next to Minato and noticed the free umbrella nearby. "Is that umbrella taken?"

"Oooh," Junpei continued. "And here we have the lovely Miss Yamagishi!" He gave the girl a small smile. "Wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were so… I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!"

"Huh…?" Fuuka looked down at her swimsuit before gasping. She tried to cover herself and Minato had to step in front of her just so Junpei would stop staring.

Junpei noticed the boy's glare and nervously chuckled. "Oh come on, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!"

"Stop that creepy laugh, you perv!" Yukari scolded him but noticed the boy had lifted his head to get a better look at the last person to join them.

Junpei eagerly smirked as the anticipation killed him. "And here's our final contestant…" His jaw immediately dropped though as there were no words to describe what he saw.

Mitsuru looked toward the group as they turned to see what made him silent. "Hm? Is something wrong?" The redhead suddenly became self-conscious as they stared at her.

"Wow…" Fuuka blushed. "Mitsuru-senpai, you're beautiful…"

"Yeah," Yukari agreed. "Your skin is flawless! Did you already put on sunscreen?"

"N-no," the redhead stuttered. "Not yet…"

Junpei pulled the two other boys away. "Psst! Level with me… Which one's your type?"

Minato looked away as he answered. "Fuuka."

"Oh, reeeeally? Very interesting," Junpei smirked to him before looking at Akihiko expectantly.

The boxer's face went red as he answered with a stutter. "M-mitsuru…"

"Huh!? Really!?" Junpei exclaimed. The juniors shared a look of surprise with each other.

"K-keep your voice down!" Akihiko glared at him.

"Maaan, really?" Junpei asked. "No joke?"

Yukari looked over to the three boys suspiciously. "What're you three smirking about?"

"Nothing?" the capped boy tried.

Unsurprisingly, Yukari didn't believe him. "Okaaay…"

To get her off their case, Junpei jumped up. "Man, this is great! I'm in heaven! How 'bout a swim!?" He mimicked a trumpet before taking off towards the water with Akihiko. "Charge!"

Minato crossed his arms as he slowly stepped back into the shade. "Don't worry about it, Yukari," he sighed. "It's just Junpei being Junpei."

Hamuko giggled as she guessed what the boys were talking about. She pulled on Yukari's and Mitsuru's hands. "Let's go too! Nii-san, will you be keeping Fuuka-chan company?"

"Does that mean I can stay under the umbrella?" The boy asked back with a deadpan expression on his face.

"I hope you properly thanked her for applying sunscreen on your back!" Hamuko smirked before taking off.

"I-I did!" He called to her before looking to the brown-eyed girl next to him. "Um… So you're not going to swim?"

Fuuka shook her head as she watched the others. "I-I'm not that great of a swimmer. Especially in the ocean. How about you, Minato-kun? Don't you want to swim too?"

The boy wore an embarrassed smile and shook his head. "I don't really want to be out in the sun for too long. Even with sunscreen, I burn very easily." He looked out towards the waves and his smile grew. "Hey, why don't we make a sandcastle?" He offered the girl his hand. "If Hamuko sees us not doing anything, she'll definitely drag us into the ocean with them."

Fuuka giggled as she took his hand. "Alright."

They were barely out from under the umbrella when Minato became uneasy. "Huh?" He stopped walking and looked around. Is someone watching me?

"Minato-kun?" Fuuka noticed the boy was glancing around them with a rather paranoid expression on his face. "Is something wrong?"

Minato didn't answer as they heard Junpei being thrown into the water by Akihiko. "Whoa, it's cold!" The capped boy laughed as Fuuka and Minato looked towards the rest of the team.

Fuuka giggled as it looked like everyone having fun. Turning back to the serious boy at her side, the navigator began lightly pulling on his arm in an attempt to get him to relax and enjoy himself too. "Let's go join them, Minato-kun!"

"Whoa, Fuuka!" Minato smirked at her in surprise but allowed her to pull him along. "Alright, I'm coming," he laughed as he decided to forget about his strange feeling.

After the team returned from the beach, Minato decided to on an expedition through the vast mansion, collecting pictures of whatever he could. As he finished up, he looked around the wide halls in confusion before realizing he was lost. The directionless boy wandered around a bit more before noticing someone at the end of the hall, standing next to a closed door. He was about to call out to that person for help, but he paused when he saw who it was. Kirijo-senpai? The boy heard footsteps coming towards him from another hall and without thinking, he quickly ducked behind a pillar.

Mitsuru patiently waited outside her father's study and straightened up once she saw her father coming down the hall. "It's been a while," she fought back the relieved smile as she did her best to remain composed in front of the man. "I'm glad that you're in good health…"

Takeharu nodded to his daughter. "Our guests are residents of the dorm, I presume."

"I'm sorry for bringing such a crowd…" Mitsuru frowned to herself as she thought back to the moment when the dorm first arrived to the vacation home.

Her father didn't seem to mind though. "I heard you told them about the incident. Why did you hide it for so long?"

"I wasn't hiding it…" Mitsuru's frown deepened.

"I've told you time and again; none of the blame is yours." His grey eyes flashed with concern over the girl.

"But…" she looked up at her father.

Takeharu took a deep breath. "Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection. That has been our guiding principle since the Kirijo Family separated from the Nanjo Group. You must learn to trust in others, Mitsuru. There are things in this world that cannot be accomplished alone, no matter how many sacrifices you make."

Minato frowned to himself as he mulled over this new information. Nanjo Group? As in Kei Nanjo? Mom and Dad's last client?

Mitsuru lowered her gaze. "Yes, Father."

"You accessed our database, didn't you?" The man frowned. "That's another thing… Why didn't you ask me directly, instead of using this trip as an excuse?"

"I'm… I'm sorry," the redhead bowed her head.

The man walked past her. "Bring them here. All of them. I had no intention of concealing the truth from them. I've made preparations to disclose everything. There's a girl named Takeba in your group, correct? For her to awaken to her power… It must be fate…"

"Father…?" Mitsuru looked up at him.

Minato held his breath and waited a few seconds before stealthily disappearing down the hall. He swiftly turned around and began walking at a normal pace. He made it so that he would naturally enter the large hall with the senior not suspecting him of a thing. "Senpai? Is something wrong?"

Mitsuru noticed him entering. "Yuki… Fetch the others. It's time we learned the whole truth."

"Of course, Senpai," Minato bowed his head before taking out his phone to text the others.

All of SEES sat inside the fancy office of the leader of the Kirijo Group. Takeharu studied all of them before letting his gaze rest on Yukari. "From what I understand," he began, "Mitsuru has already given you the short version." The brunette nodded to him. "Well, it's true… We adults are to blame. If I could've atoned for it with my life, I would have done so… Now, I have no choice but to rely on you. What my father wanted to create with those monsters' power… was a time manipulation device."

Apparently, this was news to Mitsuru. "That's what he was trying to do?"

Her father nodded to her. "Imagine if you could control the flow of time… eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

"Damn," Junpei shook his head. "That's insane…"

"However, under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal. In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that… It's only natural that you want to know the truth… and it's my duty to tell you." The man turned on a video recording.

Akihiko frowned. "What's this…?"

Takeharu watched the video solemnly. "This is the only existing footage of the accident, recorded by a scientist who was at the scene."

A static-filled voice permeated the room. "I pray that this recording reaches safe hands…"

Yukari recognized who it was immediately. "That voice…!?"

Hamuko noticed the man in the video appear behind her friend. He seemed to be frowning. The man tried to explain something to Hamuko, but she couldn't hear as faint laughter drowned out the ghostly man's voice. She frowned to herself as this has never happened to her before.

"My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived… I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster… But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price…"

Fuuka's eyes widened. "The entire world?"

Minato frowned as a Reaper flickered behind the man on screen. Faintly, the boy heard laughing in his ears, but he swore it didn't come from the Reaper on film. Something's not right with this video…

"Please, listen carefully… The Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success… And so, I didn't raise any objections… It is all my fault…"

Minato subtly raised a hand to cover his ear, hoping to silence the laughing Reaper in his mind. He noticed Yukari tense up as she stood. "Dad…"

Fuuka looked to her in surprise. "You mean… that was…?"

The recording ended and Minato was grateful the laughing stopped. Mitsuru turned towards Takeharu. "Father…"

He only nodded to her. "His name was Eiichiro Takeba… He was the head researcher at the time, and a very talented man. But, we are the ones who are responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijo Group is to blame for his death."

Minato glanced towards his sister but noticed she had a hand over one ear. She was intently staring at Yukari and Minato wondered if something was interfering with her ability to see the dead. He quickly refocused his attention on the red-haired senior though as she let out a shaky breath. "I… I can't believe it…"

Yukari numbly stared at the screen. "So, that means… my dad caused it all…? The Dark Hour, Tartarus… The people who died in that incident… It was all his fault…?"

Akihiko noticed the junior shaking. "Y-you okay?"

"So, that's why you were hiding this…?" Yukari angrily turned towards Mitsuru. "Because you felt sorry for me? Is that it!?"

Minato clenched his fists. No… That's not it. Kirijo-senpai didn't know… And that video… Something's wrong with it… He held his tongue though because now wasn't a time to discuss his suspicions, at least not without bringing up his Reapers.

Mitsuru shook her head. "No, Takeba, I…"

"I don't want your pity!" Yukari cried out before running out of the room.

Fuuka made a motion to get up. "Um… Shouldn't someone go after her?"

Mitsuru looked towards Hamuko. "Arisato… Will you go…?"

"No, I'll do it," Minato said, standing up. Everyone looked towards him in surprise, but Hamuko noticed the serious expression on his face.

"Yeah… I'll leave it to you, nii-san."

Minato nodded before leaving the room.

Yukari stared out towards the ocean as she hugged her knees close to her. "I believed in him for so long… This is too much…" She heard someone running towards her and turned her head. To her surprise it was Minato.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief when he finally caught up to her. "Mind if I join you?" He didn't wait for an answer as he took a seat beside her.

"Minato…" Yukari studied his calm face as he stared out at the water. She enjoyed his silent presence for a while before the urge to speak took over. "Remember what I told you at the hospital…? How my dad died when I was little…? You understand now, right…? He died in that incident. Nobody knew the truth, so there were all sorts of rumors… Because he was in charge of the research team, people were really mean to me and my mom… We even had to move a few times."

Minato frowned as he understood where she was coming from, having gone through similar experiences too. "That must've been tough."

"Yeah," Yukari nodded. She pulled her knees closer to her chest. "But all this time, I kept telling myself it wasn't his fault. I loved him a lot, and I believed he'd never do anything wrong. I received a letter back in the spring. It was from him, written ten years ago… It cracked me up cuz, even though it said 'To my family', it was pretty much all about me. That only made me believe in him more… When I found out I had a special power, I thought it was fate. I was scared, but I thought if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, I might find out what really happened. That's why I agreed to fight using my Persona. But, it turns out… all of that was for nothing…"

"That's not true," Minato shook his head.

The brunette wryly laughed. "You're just trying to make me feel better." She clenched her fists as she stood up. "Why does reality have to be so harsh…? I tried so hard to fight my fear, and this is what I get… Maybe I'm just jealous of Mitsuru-senpai. I mean, why my father and not hers…?" She let out a derisive laugh. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

The boy got to his feet as he remembered having these thoughts before, when he was younger and he still didn't understand the Reapers that haunted him. He had wanted so desperately for them to go away that he had screamed at his sister why he saw them and not her. "That's how people are, Yukari. It's okay for you to feel that way."

Yukari blew up at him. "Hmph. Well, you're just Mr. Perfect. Nothing ever fazes you. And now, you've got the nerve to try and tell me how to feel!? You think you know me!? You don't know anything!"

Minato calmly looked at her. "I at least understand what you're going through," he said. "The fear… The anger… the pain… It's always there, but if you keep turning away from it, eventually you'll feel nothing left." Like how I am sometimes… "You'll just end up completely alone and that's worse than dying."

"How would you understand?" Yukari began shaking. "You've always had your sister! I'm not like you! I've always been alone."

"Always?" Minato questioned her. Yukari paused at that. "If you've always been alone, then you would've closed your heart to everyone around you. But you're here talking to me. So have you 'always' been alone?" The girl's head lowered so Minato faced the ocean again and let the sea breeze hit him. "Hamuko must have told you what I said to her after your hospital visit in April. I made a mistake in saying we weren't alike. But out of everyone, I guess you're more like me than even Hamuko. Always thinking we're alone… It's an easy way to cope with life, but it's rather lonely, don't you think? You said were jealous of Kirijo-senpai… I was jealous of Hamuko once…"

"You were?" Yukari frowned at him. "But she's your sister."

Minato chuckled to himself. "Right? I wanted to be like her… She was always able to attract people around her. At first, I felt betrayed because I wanted to be the only person she needed. After a while the jealousy hit and to cope, I decided I only needed myself. I pushed everyone away and eventually I became nothing… Hamuko pulled me out of it but sometimes I find myself going back to how I used to be. It's a hard habit for me to get rid of, but I think I'm doing better."

"So when did you start to change?"

"April," Minato answered.

"What!?" Yukari looked at him in surprise. "But you seem so…"

"Normal?" The boy shrugged. "It's easy to fake. Unless you know the signs, you can't really tell." He smirked at his friend. "Which is why you can't fool me, Yukari."

The girl turned towards the ocean in silence. She lowered her gaze before smiling at the boy. "I'm sorry… My head's a mess… I'm so afraid… I don't know what to do anymore… I'm totally lost… Tell me… What should I do…?"

Minato took a deep breath before he answered. "It's okay not to know."

"Huh…?" Yukari looked at him with confusion.

"You don't have to know what to do." The boy looked into her eyes seriously. "But there's one thing I think you should do. Don't lose hope."

"You mean, keep believing…?"

"Yeah," Minato nodded. "To be honest, I don't think it's your dad's fault. A lot of stuff still doesn't make sense, but at least keep believing. If not in your dad, then in yourself. And if not in yourself, then believe in Hamuko and me. You're the first real friend we made in Iwatodai, you know?"

Yukari smiled at the boy's words. "Ya know, you really are one-of-a-kind." She gave him a genuinely sorry look. "I'm sorry for acting like this. You've lost your parents, too. But, I'm alright now… I'm used to dealing with stressful situations. Anyway, thanks for listening. Lemme guess… Senpai asked you to bring me back, right?"

Minato chuckled. "Hamuko was the one supposed to bring you back. I ended up coming cuz I wanted to."

"Oooh, you're such a gentleman…" Yukari giggled at him. "Thanks."

Seeing how she needed an extra boost, Minato wrapped his arms around her. This surprised the girl but she returned the hug anyways. "You know, Hamuko says the most brotherly thing about me is my hug. So if you're ever down, you can rely on me. You know that, right?"

"You really are the best big brother in the world," Yukari smiled as she tightened her grip. Although she felt a lot better than she had in a long while, the girl looked over the taller teen's shoulder and noticed a certain capped boy running towards them.

"Hey!" Junpei called out to them. Yukari quickly let go of the blue-haired boy, her face slightly red. When Junpei finally reached them, he was gasping for air. "Sheesh… What's taking you so long…? Everybody's… waiting… It's almost…" He sucked in more air. "The Dark Hour, so you should get back."

"Huh?" Yukari looked at the night sky. "Oh, yeah, that's right…"

"Hm?" Junpei looked between the two in confusion. "Um… Did I miss something…?"

"Not really..." Minato replied as he slipped both his hands into his pockets and began staring out over the ocean again. "But we should get going before the Shadows start to prowl."

"I-I almost forgot…" Yukari stared up at the moon. "It doesn't matter where you are when the Dark Hour comes…"

Minato sighed as he knew this for a fact. "Yeah…"

Junpei rolled his eyes. "Well, duh."

"You know," Yukari looked to the two boys, "I've been thinking lately… Once you awaken to the power of Persona, you remember everything that happens during the Dark Hour… It's like trading away your innocence… In exchange for power, you can no longer look away from the things you don't want to see. So, I'm stuck with you guys, huh?"

"Yup," Junpei smirked. "Now that that's settled, let's get back!"

The two started off without Minato as he sensed someone watching him again. He looked around but once again saw nothing. That's really weird… Is there a Shadow hunting me? No… It's not the Dark Hour yet… So what is it?

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

Hamuko fell back into the large bed. "I'm so glad I won't have to be alone in a room this huge!" she called out towards the two other girls getting ready to sleep too. "It's too bad nii-san didn't want to join us."

Fuuka's face went red. "Hamuko-chan, I don't think that would be right…"

"But he's my brother," the red-eyed girl teased, knowing that wasn't the problem. "Oh, well. At least the three of us can have a girls' night!"

Yukari shook her head but smiled at their friend. "Yeah. We can talk about all sorts of stuff without anyone trying to listen in on us. Like how weird the guys were acting on the beach. Especially when Mitsuru-senpai arrived."

Fuuka nodded her head. "Minato-kun was right when he told me Senpai was beautiful."

"Eh? Nii-san said that?" Hamuko frowned. "That's not like him. He tends to go for 'cute' girls…"

The shy girl's face went red as she stared at Hamuko in surprise. "W-what!?"

The red-eyed girl didn't seem to notice the blush though. "Well… It's not like nii-san can't appreciate other types too, I guess. I mean, he and I think Akihiko-senpai is handsome."

Yukari laughed at that. "Handsome? With what he was wearing today? I'd say he was more embarrassing…" She took a seat on the edge of the bed as Hamuko rolled into the center. "By the way, what types of guys are you interested in Hamuko?"

"That's a secret!" the girl winked.

"Hey, come on. It's a girl talk," Yukari smirked at her. "Come on, spill it."

Hamuko's face slightly flushed. "It's not really a type, but I like boys that are taller than me. He needs to be cool, strong, and handsome though."

"Isn't that just your brother?" Yukari tilted her head.

"No, nii-san isn't handsome per se," Hamuko crossed her arms. "He's good looking but that more has to do with him having a pretty face. Plus, he's not strong. He has the cool part down though." The red-eyed girl nodded her head. "Actually, I use nii-san as a comparison base. Considering Minato won't let me date anyone he doesn't trust, I have to make sure any guy I go out with is better than him or at least at his level. Bonus points if I can tease him as much as I do Minato." Hamuko smirked as she began thinking of a certain brunet.

"Someone better than Minato-kun?" Fuuka considered if such a person could exist. "That must be difficult to find. I think Minato-kun is amazing," Fuuka said as she got into bed from Hamuko's other side. "He's kind, courageous, and really smart."

"So is Minato your type then, Fuuka?" Yukari asked.

The girl's face suddenly went red. "U-um…"

"Well, Fuuka-chan is nii-san's type," Hamuko considered. "Not just physically too. You're very cute, Fuuka-chan, but nii-san would never actively pursue anyone based on appearances alone. And given your personality makes you even cuter, you're the perfect match for him."

Yukari giggled. "I think so too. Fuuka complements Minato very well. By the way, Fuuka, how was it when you helped him put on sunscreen?"

Fuuka pulled the covers up over her face. "U-umm…" The girl tried to come up with something to say. "M-minato-kun is surprisingly muscular…"

"Yeah, it's hard to tell with how skinny he is," Yukari thought. "It must be all that Track practice and Tartarus exploration. I was actually surprised he was strong enough to shoot a bow and lift Junpei's sword."

Deciding to shift the focus of the conversation off of herself, Fuuka looked towards the archer curiously. "How about you, Yukari-chan? What do you look for in a guy?"

The brunette considered things for herself. "Pretty much someone who's the opposite of Junpei. I want someone serious and loyal. Someone I can rely on to be there for me, but also give me space when I need it. A perfect gentleman."

"Something tells me our standards for guys are a bit too high, Yukari," Hamuko smirked.

"Yeah," the brunette chuckled. "Maybe we should look for guys with more realistic traits, like Fuuka."

"Mmhmm," Hamuko nodded. "Minato isn't quite perfect and he actually has a lot of flaws, but you like him anyways, right, Fuuka-chan?"

Fuuka blinked at the two other girls, but noticed they weren't teasing her. Instead, they gave her encouraging smiles. A small smile grew on the shy girl's face as she blushed. "Yeah…"

"I knew it!" Hamuko said, raising her hands in victory. "Now to get nii-san to admit he likes you, too!"

Yukari laughed. "Fuuka, if you need help with Minato, just let us know and we can play matchmaker!"

"O-okay?" Fuuka gave the two a nervous smile. For the rest of the night until they went to sleep, the three girls began talking about Mitsuru and Akihiko's dubious relationship.

Final Notes: I ended up splitting the vacation based on each day... If I didn't the chapter would have been massive. And it's not like the transition to the next day is very smooth. Tomorrow will be the highlight of the Yakushima trip. Hrm... For the relationships in the team, I really don't see Yukari or Mitsuru really needing anyone to go out with. It's just Mitsuru and Akihiko complement each other well and I still treat them as 'mom and dad'. And I find it hard for Yukari to go out with just anybody... The way I see it, there needs to already be a strong level of commitment between her and someone else before she'd date a person. Well, the same could be said for all relationships, I suppose, but I wouldn't really know. I still favor Fuuka, after all.