Author's Notes: Kyoto time! A fun break from the depression that SEES is involved in. Ryoji still makes everything better.

~17 NOVERMBER 2009~

Minato smirked as they stepped off the bullet train. He admired the vehicle for one more minute before turning towards Fuuka. "Did you know that the Shinkansen—?"

"Dude, you and Ryoji wouldn't shut up about it the entire ride," Junpei frowned at him. "If you bring up the train thing one more time, I'm going to hit you."

"But it's a fun fact," the blue-haired boy shrugged. He frowned when Yukari and Junpei both glared at him. "Okay, okay… I thought you'd both be over what happened by now, but fine…" Minato sighed.

"You can tell me later, Minato-kun," Fuuka smiled at him.

"Enough about trains," Hamuko raised both her arms into the air as she and Ryoji stepped off the bullet train. "Can you believe we're finally here in Kyoto?"

Junpei looked around and shook his head. "Kyoto, huh…? Talk about a clichéd place to go on a school trip."

Ryoji turned to his friend in surprise. "Huh? Don't you like it?" He smiled as he waved his arms towards the tranquil scenery before them. "Personally, I think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world!"

"Whatever!" Junpei crossed his arms.

"Minato-kun understands," the blue-eyed boy pointed at the junior who was now capturing pictures.

"Hm?" Minato turned towards the scarf-wearing boy when he heard his name. "Oh, yeah." He put down his camera and wore a small smile. "I think it's a beautiful place to have good memories of while we're still young."

"Is that so…?" Junpei frowned at the two. "Ya know, every now and then, you both sound like old men."

"Really?" Ryoji asked as he and Minato looked at each other with a shrug. The two began smirking and laughing together.

Hamuko crossed her arms as she studied both blue-eyed boys. Huh… That's weird…

Fuuka giggled at the two juniors. "Minato-kun and Ryoji-kun really are similar sometimes," she noted.

Aigis forced her way between the two boys. "Please do not stand near Minato-san," she frowned at Ryoji.

"Can I stand next to you, Aigis-san?" Ryoji smiled at the blonde.

"Absolutely not!"

"Aigis!" Minato restrained the robot from attacking their friend. "I want to enjoy this trip so please try to control yourself," he groaned.

Yukari laughed a bit at her friends before turning towards the seniors. The brunette let out a relieved sigh when she saw Mitsuru standing with Akihiko. The white-haired boxer was keeping an eye on her as he helped organize the classes for the Student Council President. "She came… Thank goodness," Yukari muttered to herself.

The juniors stared at the inn with wide eyes as they entered the building. Junpei's smirk grew as he began to shake in excitement. "We're finally here! Whoa, nice place!"

"It IS an expensive area, after all," Yukari shrugged.

Ryoji spotted a large umbrella and immediately dragged Minato and Hamuko with him to examine it. "Hey, what's that umbrella for?"

Minato shrugged before making a joke. "Maybe the roof leaks," he said, pointing toward the ceiling.

"Huh?" The boy smirked. "But this is the 1st floor!" He looked around. "This building would have to be pretty old." He tilted his head to the side as he came up with a plausible explanation. "Maybe it's for good luck?"

"If that's the case," Hamuko hugged Ryoji's arm, "you wanna get under it?"

The raven-haired boy put on his most charming smile. "Doing anything together with you would be my pleasure. Say, why don't we go hang out somewhere together after this?"

"What kind of reasoning is that!?" Yukari asked their classmate as she pulled Hamuko away from the flirt. "Watch yourself around this guy, okay, leader? He'll go after any girl with a pulse."

"Leader?" Minato crossed his arms. "But…" he shook his head as he decided to let it slide just this once.

Ryoji shook his head. "That's no way to refer to someone with so cute a name as hers." He looked back towards Hamuko with a serious expression. "Oh, and I don't just go for anyone. I want to get to know you better because… you're you." His smile quickly returned. "Though I must say, we're getting along pretty well already." He let out a soft laugh.

"Huh?" Yukari eyed him suspiciously. "What's with that chuckle? Wait, don't tell me, are you two…?" She looked between Hamuko and Ryoji in disbelief.

Aigis continued to glare at Ryoji. "You are a problem!"

"Ugh, sheesh…" Yukari shook her head and turned towards Minato. "Aren't you going to do anything about this?"

"Hm?" Minato blinked at her. "Why? Ryoji and Hamuko are just kidding… I think…" He turned back towards Ryoji. "Anyway… back to the umbrella. It's probably just for decoration."

Ryoji nodded to him with a smile. "I see. So, that's the style here in Kyoto, huh?" He looked around and nudged Minato with an elbow. "Speaking of which… Where can I find a geisha?"

Junpei straightened up at that and placed his arm around Minato's shoulder. "That's right, I forgot about that! Count me in!"

"Keep dreamin', Junpei," Yukari rolled her eyes.

"W-what? H-hey! Don't drag me along for this!" Minato cried as both boys pulled him along with them. He fought against them, but paused when he noticed a small pool outside the window. "Oh, cool! Look at that!" He quickly freed himself and pulled out his camera.

Aigis stood at his side as she examined the scenery. "The stone area outside is filled with water… Is this one of the open-air hot springs I have heard about?" she asked.

Hamuko smirked at the robot. "Wanna try going in it?"

Fuuka quickly shook her head and pulled on Aigis's arm. "N-no! Aigis, you can't go in there! A bath wouldn't be so out in the open like this!" She frowned at Hamuko. "Come on, don't lie to her!"

This only made the red-eyed girl laugh. Her brother sighed and shook his head at everyone's antics. "Aigis, it's just a courtyard," he explained. "It's not meant for bathing."

"I see," the robot nodded in understanding.

Finally reigning in her laughter, Hamuko threw an arm around her brother's shoulder. "This trip really is fun! I'm so glad we're here!"

Junpei curiously turned towards Ryoji. "So, where were you guys gonna go at your old school, Ryoji?" He smirked. "Somewhere interesting, I bet. Kyoto's so typical, don't ya think?"

"Hmm…" Ryoji considered it for a moment. "I don't really remember."

"Are you serious?" Yukari asked him. "That's the highlight of the year!"

"Really?" the blue-eyed boy frowned. "That's odd… I can't really remember—"

"Come on," Toriumi interrupted them. The stern teacher shook her head at the group of juniors. "You can talk later. You're blocking the hallway. Girls, your rooms are that way," she pointed up the stairs towards the third floor. "Why don't you go get unpacked?"

"You heard her," Junpei shrugged.

Fuuka turned towards Minato and gave him a smile. "We'll see you later then. This way, Hamuko-chan." She started up the stairs with the brunette.

"This way, Hamuko-chan," Junpei smiled, following them.

Ryoji chuckled as he did the same. "I'm looking forward to seeing the rooms, Hamuko-chan."

Aigis waved at them as she remained at Minato's side. "Well, I will see you later."

"Hey, knock it off, Aigis! Back over there!" Minato scolded her.

Yukari shook her head at them all. "All right, this has gone far enough!" She sharply pulled on Junpei's and Ryoji's ears. "Junpei and Ryoji-kun, guy's room! Aigis, girl's room! You're coming with us! Get with the program!"

"Awww…" Both Ryoji and Junpei sighed as Minato sternly frowned at them.

~18 NOVEMBER 2009~

When the entire tour group broke up after the day's activities, Mitsuru found herself at the river bank. The evening was already upon her but she refused to look away from the glimmering water. She heard someone approach her but the redhead didn't turn. She could already guess who it was.

Yukari wore a worried frown when the senior remained still at the river's edge. "We should probably head back. We don't want to miss curfew." Mitsuru gave the younger girl a quick glance as the brunette stood at her side. "The later it gets, the more crowded the Shijou becomes," she informed her.

"Why are you still concerned about me?" Mitsuru frowned. "Our days of fighting together are over. We have no common goal to fight for, no enemies to defeat…" her gaze lowered, "no reason to be friends."

"That's not true…" Yukari shook her head.

"We've reached our conclusion…" Mitsuru said, turning back towards the river. "Why should we continue on? Everything I believed in was a lie. And in the end, I failed to…" The senior faltered.

"You failed to what?" the junior frowned at her. "To protect the most important person in your life? Is that what you're trying to say?" The brunette glared at her and clenched her fists. "You said you were atoning for what the Kirijo Group did in the past, but that's not true. You were only fighting to protect your father."

"That's right!" Mitsuru snapped at her. "I fought to protect him, and look what happened! My trust for the Chairman blinded me, and I fell right into his trap! There was nothing I could do! My father placed the onus of responsibility all upon himself. And ever since the incident, he looked as if he was dead inside." The normally strong young woman could feel tears beginning to burn in her eyes. "I fought so that he could release the shame and guilt that burdened him so!" Yukari frowned as she cast her eyes to the ground. "But my efforts were futile…" Mitsuru lowered her head. "And now my life is without meaning." She clenched her fists. "Right!?" Yukari suddenly slapped her, stunning the older girl. "Ngh…"

The brunette lowered her hand and shook her head. "I'm sorry. But, we don't know that for sure yet." Mitsuru remained silent as she brought a hand up to her stinging cheek while Yukari turned to face the river too. "Hey, did you know that I used to live around here?" She frowned as she recalled her childhood. "After my dad died, my mom spent all her time throwing herself at random men… I couldn't stand seeing her acting like that, so I used to come out here to the river bank to get away." Mitsuru lowered her gaze but she continued to listen. "My belief in my dad was all I had…"

The redhead felt the familiar guilt of her family name return. "Your father was only doing what he thought was best…"

"Yes, but it was still wrong," Yukari pointed out. "So he fought to the end to try and make it right again. He never gave up," the brunette smiled. "He believed Shadows were dangerous, and they needed to be stopped, even if it meant losing his life… That's why I fight." She gave the senior a determined look. "I want to eliminate the Dark Hour and fulfill my dad's final wish."

"Fulfill his final wish…" Mitsuru considered those words.

"That's all I—no, we can do." Yukari put on a small smile. "Right, Senpai?"

"Yes…" The redhead frowned as she considered the rest of SEES. "Yes," she said again, but with more determination, "I agree, Takeba." She faced Yukari. "It's not over yet. Nothing has been decided. We must put an end to this. For the sake of my father… and yours."

"Senpai…" Yukari's smile grew.

"Yukari," Mitsuru stared into the younger girl's eyes, "will you stand with me until the end?"

"Of course," Yukari replied with a bow before running back up the bank. "Well, I guess we should go and take a bath together now."

The Student Council President's face went red as she didn't quite understand. "T-take a bath together?"

"Yeah, in the outdoor hot spring back at the hotel," the archer clarified. "It's really nice. Now that we have everything out in the open, there's nothing left for us to hide!"

"Nothing?" Mitsuru frowned as her cheeks continued to burn.

"H-hey, stop blushing!" Yukari laughed. "I didn't mean it like that!" She looked up towards the sky. "Anyways, we should really get going. It's already past curfew." She ran off towards the inn.

After watching the brunette leave, Mitsuru looked towards the sky and smiled softly to herself. "There is no need to worry, Father… I am not alone." She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "And I'll never look back again."

Penthesilea resonated within her before transforming into a new Persona. "Thou art I, and I am thou," the new Persona bowed to her. "From the sea of thy soul, I cometh. I am Artemisia, warrior queen of Caria." Artemisia quickly returned to her. "Come what may, you will always have my strength to face battle and strife."

Mitsuru pulled herself together to prevent her tears from falling. "Please watch over me," she whispered to both her Persona and father.

~19 NOVEMBER 2009~

Hamuko smiled as she noticed Mitsuru seemed different today. The senior was actually enjoying herself on the school trip now. She had asked Yukari what brought about the change, but the archer only told her that their reliable Student Council President renewed her resolve. Hamuko understood immediately and was glad.

Yukari wanted to speak with her more to make sure the red-eyed junior was also okay with continuing their fight, but Ryoji quickly interrupted. The smooth boy ended up kidnapping her friend and Hamuko suddenly found herself along the bank of the Kamogawa River, eating crepes with him.

"A green tea crepe…" Ryoji studied the thin green pancake he held. "That color's a little off-putting." He took a bite and a bright smile appeared on his face. "Oh, but it's delicious." He shook his head. "You can't find this in Iwatodai," he said with a chuckle. "It makes me kind of happy."

"What makes you happy?" Hamuko asked.

"I'm having new experiences," the blue-eyed boy explained, "and I get to share them with you. That's what I enjoy so much." He let out a delightful laugh. He stared over the glimmering water and wore a gentle smile. "Hey, here's something I didn't know until Minato-kun told me. The light reflects off the river in a different way than it shines off of the ocean…" His eyes glowed as he continued to watch the river.

"Is it because it's flowing?" Hamuko tilted her head as she also noticed the unique way the light reflected off the river.

"Oh, that might be it…" Ryoji mused. "The water's on a journey, too," he said with strange seriousness. A serene smile appeared on his face. "I bet that must be fun." He remained silent for a moment before he looked around. "That reminds me, this place is filled with couples, too."

Hamuko took a look for herself and her eyes widened as he was once again right. "Huh… Would you look at that?" she smirked.

"They all look like they're having fun," her friend nodded. "What kind of things do lovers talk about?"

"No clue," the girl frowned as her hand automatically went to cover her watch.

"Is that so?" Ryoji noticed her change in disposition. "Does that mean you've never had a boyfriend?"

"I had someone once," Hamuko told him. "I wouldn't call him a proper boyfriend though because as soon as I came to love him, he…" She frowned as she thought of Shinjiro. Hamuko couldn't help herself from shaking in grief and sadness.

"I see…" The boy frowned but he took a step closer to her. He put a comforting arm around her and gave the girl a hug. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, Ryoji-kun," Hamuko said with a soft smile. "He loved me too… I'm sure he's watching over me right now, hoping I'm happy. He doesn't have to worry though because I am happy. After all, I still have nii-san, our friends, and you." A bit surprised at her words, Ryoji intently stared at the brunette. Noticing his gaze, the red-eyed girl looked at him with worry. "What's the matter?"

Ryoji wore a frown as he began to mutter to himself. "Why you, I wonder…? Sure, you're nice, and pretty, but…" He shook his head. "I don't think it's that. It's just… you…" Realizing Hamuko was staring him in confusion, he quickly cleared his head. "Hey," he gave her a smile and Hamuko noticed it was a bit forced, "would you be willing to see me like this after we get back from the trip?" He paused as he considered the next few days. "Um… The day after we get back is the 22nd. It's a Sunday. I'd like to spend some more time with you…" he honestly told her.

"Okay," Hamuko said with a nod.

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Ryoji smiled. He sheepishly looked to his feet. "I was getting anxious about what I was going to do if you'd said no. Then, the 22nd it is! Don't forget." He happily laughed and noticed the breeze picking up. "It's starting to get chilly," he noted, pulling up his scarf. "I wonder if winter's just around the corner. Should we get going?" he turned towards Hamuko in concern. Hamuko nodded as the two walked towards the souvenir shops before returning to the inn.

Minato spotted Junpei waving over to him as he came down the stairs. "Junpei," the blue-haired boy nodded.

"S'up, Minato," the capped boy smirked to him. "Wanna check out the outdoor hot spring?"

"Sure," the blue-haired boy shrugged.

"Yeah, dawg!" Junpei cheered. "I'll get Akihiko-senpai and Ryoji, while you go back to your room and get ready."

"Alright, but are you sure we'll have enough—?" Minato tried to ask his friend about the hot spring timetable but Junpei was already gone. Minato sighed to himself as he went up to their room. Oh well… I'll just ask him later. It's not like I can stay long in there anyway… He quickly got ready and was surprised to see Akihiko, Junpei, and Ryoji already in the water.

"About time you got here," Akihiko smirked at him. "Come and relax with us."

Minato shrugged as he sank into the relaxing waters. He let out a content sigh. "Two hot springs in a year… This is fantastic…" Curious about how the others felt about the trip, Minato glanced towards Akihiko. "Senpai, did you enjoy Kyoto?"

"To be honest, I was a bit too worried about Mitsuru to pay attention to what was going on for the first half of the trip," Akihiko replied. He let out a sigh of relief. "She seemed to have been doing better today though and we ended up having a good time on the tour."

"Eh?" the blue-haired boy tilted his head to the side. "You really care about Mitsuru-senpai…"

"Whoa!" Junpei's eyes widened before he smirked at their reliable upperclassman. "So are you two really…?"

"That would explain why she turned me down," Ryoji chuckled. "Another beautiful one taken…" he regretfully sighed.

"It's not like that," the boxer glared at them. "Mitsuru and I have known each other for a long time now. Of course I'd be worried. Anyways," Akihiko shook his head before turning towards Ryoji, "what did you think the best part of the trip was? I really liked the riverbank. It was a good jogging route."

"Oh, I liked that spot too," the junior said with a smile. "It was a rather romantic area to be in."

Junpei smirked. "Really? I liked the souvenir shops. I got something for Chidori…" he blushed. "Well," the capped boy frowned to himself. "We're having problems right now, but I won't give up on her."

Minato stared at his friend and gave him an encouraging smile. "That's good, Junpei."

"Well," the taller junior shrugged. "What about you, Minato? What'd you like best about Kyoto?"

The blue-haired boy sank further into the water. "What else?" he asked. "This hot spring is perfect…"

Ryoji chuckled as he sat next to the relaxed blue-haired boy. "Did you know that this hot spring is open to guys at certain times and girls at others?"

"No way, really?" Junpei smirked. "Then, there's a chance it could change to girls only while we're still bathing. But if that happens, there's nothing we can do about it. I mean, we're already here, right?"

"That's true," Ryoji nodded. "We couldn't be blamed if something like that were to happen." He turned towards Minato. "Don't you agree?"

"I'm not so sure," Minato weakly responded as he began to feel light-headed. Aw man… I'm at my limit already?

"Well, it's really just a hypothetical question," the other blue-eyed boy shrugged.

"Hey," Junpei frowned, "isn't it getting kinda hot in here?"

"Y-yeah…" Minato's vision began to blur. So dizzy… but… it's so relaxing… Against his better judgment, the boy found himself chin-deep in the water.

Akihiko shook his head at the other two juniors. "So, Junpei, at what time does this hot-spring change from guys only to girls only?"

"Uh," Junpei wryly chuckled. "I'm not sure. I didn't bother to check." He smirked towards his raven-haired friend. "Right, Ryoji-kun?"

"Right," his cohort smiled. "But it could happen at any moment, couldn't it, Junpei-kun?"

"So that's why we came at this strange time?" Akihiko asked, standing up. "You two are such idiots!"

Junpei laughed. "Calm down, man. We're just joking! Although you're right about it being a weird time to be here. But, don't worry. It's pretty late. I doubt any girls would—" He paused when they heard the sound of someone sliding open the door to the changing room. "Shit!" he whispered. "Someone's here! What're we gonna do…?"

"It's probably just a guy," Akihiko muttered.

"Don't worry," Ryoji shook his head as he continued to smile. "This is simply a misunderstanding. We'll just act like we didn't know."

The three boys froze as they heard Yukari's voice in the distance. "Wow! This hot spring is huge!"

"Oh," Fuuka looked around as she saw how spacious it was. "You're right… It's the size of a swimming pool."

Aigis tilted her head to the side. "So, this is an outdoor hot spring. Unfortunately, its therapeutic healing benefits will not help me."

Hamuko smiled at the robot. "Well, at least you're not like nii-san," she said. "He's really sensitive to hot springs. If he's outside for too long…" She began laughing to herself. "Let's just say he becomes a bit intoxicated by the heat…"

"Dammit," Junpei whispered, "it's them… What're they doing here this late…?"

"Yes!" Ryoji tried to get a better look at the girls. "Both Yukari-san AND Fuuka-san! This is my lucky ni—ngh!" Junpei pulled him down and dunked his head under the water.

"Shut up, you idiot!" he hissed. "They'll hear you." He finally let Ryoji back up.

Hamuko and Yukari turned when they thought they heard splashing. Yukari frowned as she called out into the bath. "Who's that!? Is someone there!?"

"What's the matter, Yukari?" Mitsuru asked as she came outside to join them. "Did you see something?"

"Did you…" Yukari looked around, "hear that just now?"

"Hear what…?" the redhead frowned in confusion.

Akihiko tensed up. "M-mitsuru's here, too!? Oh, man." His body began shivering involuntarily despite being partially submerged in the hot spring. "There's no way she'll consider this just a 'misunderstanding'!"

"Yeah, but it's not like we could get expelled for this, right?" Junpei asked. "I mean, it was men only when we got here. So, it's actually kinda funny, if you think about it." He tried to let out a wry chuckle.

The older boy urgently shook his head. "This is Mitsuru we're talking about," he said, pure terror filling his eyes. "If she finds us, she'll…" He gulped as he looked around for an escape route or at least a place to hide. His eyes widened as he noticed someone was missing. Wait… where'd Minato go…!?

"What?" Junpei asked, now curious. "She'll what?"

"She'll execute us…!" Akihiko winced as he frantically searched for their missing friend.

Ryoji noticed himself beginning to shake. "E-execute us!?"

The boxer frowned as he scanned around them. Seriously… where did he disappear to!? He saw bubbles coming up from under the water and fished the blue-haired boy up. His grey eyes widened he saw their leader completely incapacitated. "Oh no…" What was that Hamuko was saying about her brother?

The younger boy coughed and sputtered before letting out a shaky laugh. "Whee… Hot springs… spring rolls… Ahaha… Anyone else hungry?" His face was completely flushed and he didn't seem to be able to stand straight without wobbling back and forth. "Whoo! I want some ice cream!" He giggled to himself as he tried to leave, but Akihiko quickly grabbed his arm.

"Dude, is he drunk?" Junpei asked with a frown.

Ryoji sympathetically stared at Minato. "We've completely lost him…"

The three sane boys tensed up when they heard Fuuka speaking. "What about you, Hamuko-chan? Did you hear something…?"

Minato seemed to brighten at the girl's voice and tried to call out to her. "Fuu—" The boys quickly covered his mouth and shushed him.

Hamuko nodded as she thought she heard her brother's voice. "I heard it too!"

"You did, huh?" Yukari asked. "Fuuka," she pointed around the rocks, "could you check over there? I-it could be a ghost…"

Fuuka tensed up. "Um… but…" She glanced over towards the rocks. "I, uh… Okay…" She started towards the rock but paused after a few steps. "I'm scared to look around by myself… Yukari-chan, will you look with me?"

Yukari sighed. "Okay, fine… Let's start on the right side," she waved for the co-leader to go with her. "Come with me, Hamuko…"

"Okay," Fuuka nodded. "Then I'll go around from the left.

Akihiko shook his head as he looked between Junpei, Ryoji, and the barely stable Minato he was holding onto. The senior sternly nodded at the two capable juniors. "We've got to hide," he hissed.

"Where!?" Junpei looked around.

Ryoji spotted a suitable hiding spot nearby. "Under the rock! There's a hollow space! Hurry!"

Akihiko and Junpei quickly followed him, but sighed when Minato remained where he was. They pulled him along too and when they were finally safe, they quickly covered Minato's mouth as he began to loudly sputter from when he stood directly under the mini waterfall.

"Keep quiet!" Akihiko scolded him as he pulled the younger boy away from the rock so the water wouldn't directly pour over the junior's head. "Do you want Mitsuru to execute us?"

"Mitsuru's cute…?" Minato goofily smirked. "I don't know about that, but my girlfriend's pretty cute… No wait…" His smile grew. "She's super cute! I'll show you!" He made his way towards the open area. "Fuu—" Junpei's hand was on his mouth and the blue-haired boy stared at the capped boy with confused, unfocused blue eyes.

Ryoji shook his head as he tried to get the intoxicated boy to settle down. "It's a game, Minato-kun," he whispered with a smile. "Hide-and-seek… We can't let the girls find us."

The boy's eyes widened. "Oh…" He put on a crooked smile as he nodded in understanding. "I get it… Okay…" He put a finger to his lips. "I'll be quiet…" He giggled before covering his own mouth. "This is fun…" The three other boys gulped as they heard Hamuko and Yukari approaching their hiding place. They kept a careful eye on Minato but noticed he was doing his best to control himself. "Oh…" he whispered with a small smile on his face. "Here they are!" He began shaking in anticipation of getting caught.

Yukari glanced around the area and shook her head when she didn't see anything. She paused when she considered something. "Oh, wait!" she turned towards Hamuko. "Could there be other guests in the bath, too? If that's the case, would we be causing trouble, walking around like this…?"

Hamuko frowned and called out into the empty bath. "Is someone here!?" There was no answer, but girl swore she could hear muffled laughter.

Yukari didn't seem to notice though. "I-I guess not…" she frowned. "Was it really a ghost…?" The archer quickly shook her head and let out a wry laugh. "Who am I kidding?" The two girls waded around the pool a bit more. "Hmm… I don't see anything particularly suspicious…"

Minato giggled again. "I think we're winning…" he happily whispered to the three nervously sweating boys.

Akihiko inwardly groaned. Please let them leave soon…

Hamuko checked the floating leaves and frowned. I swear I can hear nii-san somewhere… I'd better find him before he gets himself into trouble… "Yukari?" she called out to her friend. "You see anything?"

"Nothing here…" the archer nervously replied. "I-I'm not scared, you know?"

"She totally is," Minato laughed. "Wah!"

Junpei dunked the annoying boy underwater, resulting in a loud splash. "Be quiet!"

Yukari let out a scream. "Wh-what was that? An animal?"

Hamuko turned towards the suspicious rocks. "A person, maybe?"

"But no one answered when I called out a second ago," Yukari shook her head. "Maybe I was just hearing things… Should we go check up on Fuuka?"

"Let's check ahead first," the red-eyed girl adamantly stated.

"Wh-why, is there someplace over there that seems suspicious?" Yukari asked her.

Hamuko frowned as she pointed at the rock. "The hollow in that rock!"

"Really…?" Yukari sighed. "I was kinda deliberately avoiding that area… It feels like something might jump out… Wait a sec…" Yukari blinked as she and Hamuko approached the area. "Wouldn't that mean a person could hide there? Let's check it out!"

"Rawr!" Minato jumped out, startling the archer.

Yukari let out a scream and quickly slapped the blue-haired boy. "Huh!?"

The boy doubled over from laughter. "Oh man! That was great! You should have seen the look on your face, Yuka-tan! Ahahahah! Wahoo! You found us! Let's play again!"

Hamuko looked past her drunken brother and spotted Junpei, Akihiko, and Ryoji. "You three!" Her red eyes flashed dangerously causing them to tense up.

Fuuka arrived too and saw her boyfriend tightly holding his stomach as he couldn't stop laughing. The teal-haired girl didn't know what to make of the situation. "U-uh…"

"Fuuka-chan!" Minato excitedly ran towards her with his arms out. "You really are here! How about a hug?" He almost reached her but slipped and fell into the water.

"Nii-san!" Hamuko quickly checked on him to make sure he didn't hurt himself. The boy seemed fine though since he was still laughing his head off. She placed a hand on his forehead and noticed he was burning up. "You idiot! You know you're not supposed to stay in the water for too long!"

"Hamuko-chi!" Minato ignored her concerns and extended his arms out. "Give your brother a hug!" The younger twin sighed before slapping him, hoping it would bring him back to his senses. "Aw," he complained. "So no hug?"

He's this far gone!? I can't believe this… Ignoring his puppy-like whimpering, she quickly turned to the three other boys who allowed this to happen to the blue-haired junior. "You're in so much trouble!"

Junpei nervously smirked at her. "Uh, we, uh, um…"

Akihiko shook his head as Mitsuru spotted them. "W-wait!" he tried to explain. "Th-this is just a misunderstanding…!"

"Silence!" Mitsuru yelled.

"Uh-oh," Minato chuckled. "We're in bubbles now!" he said in a singsong voice before bursting out into another laughing fit. "Get it? Because we're in a bath? Bubbles and trouble!" The boys groaned as their completely oblivious friend laughed at the horrible joke.

"I'm going to execute you all!" The Student Council President exclaimed, her face livid.

"It was nice knowing you," Aigis shook her head at the four boys.

"A pleasure to meet you too, Ai-chan!" Minato bowed with a laugh.

Junpei pulled his cap down as he addressed Akihiko and Ryoji. "Well… it was an honor to stand beside you both…"

"I'm scared…" Ryoji whimpered.

Akihiko began to shiver as he pleadingly looked towards Mitsuru. "Please make it a quick end!"

~20 NOVEMBER 2009~

Minato woke up extremely sore and cold. He gingerly pressed his tender left cheek and winced. Did I pass out in the hot spring? The blue-haired boy shrugged it off. Well… at least the guys were nice enough to help me back to the room last night. He finished packing his things and noticed his wallet wasn't where he had left it last. Huh? Why am I missing some cash? He pulled out a receipt for a ridiculous amount of ice cream and frowned. Um… It looks like I must have treated the guys after the bath last night… That probably might explain why I'm so cold… He violently sneezed and noticed he had a slight fever. Jeez… Just how much ice cream did we have? Minato shook his head as he decided to head downstairs.

As soon as he reached the first floor, Toriumi began calling out to the waiting students. "Everyone remembers what time we're meeting at Kyoto Station, yes?" She glanced over towards Minato and saw the junior nod. "Then, please be on time," she reminded the students. "If any of you are late, I'm the one who will be blamed."

Minato nodded in understanding before spotting Ryoji, Junpei, and Akihiko seated in the hotel lobby, waiting for him. The three boys wore similar frowns on their faces. The blue-haired boy quickly approached them, confused by their long expressions. "Morning?"

"Oh, so you're finally up…" Akhiko nodded with a sigh of relief. "That's good… We were thinking you didn't make it after last night's execution."

"Execution?" the blue-haired boy knit his eyebrows together. "Wait… did something happen after I passed out?"

The boys looked up at him, surprised that he didn't remember their ordeal. "You're lucky…" Junpei sighed. "I'll never forget Kyoto… How could I after last night…?"

Akihiko remained silent, but nodded in agreement. Ryoji shuddered as he remembered their icy punishment. "That truly was an 'execution'…" the blue-eyed boy muttered.

"Just try to forget about it," Akihiko shook his head as he began shivering.

Minato shook his head. "I don't even know what happened…" He sneezed a few times before spotting the girls as they were coming down. "Morning," he nodded to them with a smile. Yukari, Fuuka, Aigis, and Hamuko stopped when they saw the now-sober boy greet them. They looked to each other before coming to a consensus to ignore him. As they began walking away, the boy tried to follow after them. "W-wait! What's going on? Fuuka?" He tried to speak to his girlfriend, but the teal-haired girl slapped him across the face. Afterwards, Yukari stomped on his foot before Hamuko punched him in the stomach for good measure. "Kgh…!" Minato doubled over from the pain as they walked away. "Seriously… What happened last night?" he groaned as he hobbled back to the other boys.

Junpei shook his head and sighed. "Looks like they're still pissed…" He looked up when he noticed Mitsuru coming down. The four boys looked towards her, but the Student Council President remained perfectly composed as she passed them without even looking in their direction. Junpei pulled his cap down. "Curse you, Kyoto…!"

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

When the boys were finally kicked out of the hot spring, the girls tried once more to relax in the bath. Yukari frowned at Hamuko. "So… what was up with your brother? He'll be okay, right?"

The red-eyed girl sighed. "That's what happens when he stays in the hot spring for too long. It's like a 50-50 percent chance he'll either pass out or get intoxicated. He definitely won't remember anything that happened, but he should be fine after cooling down and going to sleep."

"That's good to know," Fuuka sighed in relief. She enjoyed the bath with them for a while longer until she frowned. "Doesn't the water seem a little hot? I'm beginning to feel faint…"

Mitsuru laughed. "It appears that Yamagishi's ability is ineffective when she's without clothing…"

"W-well, of course it is!" Fuuka cried with a blush.

Minato suddenly popped out of the water, surprising all of the girls. "But you're so beautiful without clothes, Fuuka-chan!" he exclaimed with a goofy smile on his face.

"Minato-kun!?" The teal-haired girl's face turned redder than a tomato.

"Didn't we kick you out?" Yukari asked.

"I got cold so came back," the boy pouted. "Ai-chan, let me in."

"Aigis!" Hamuko frowned at the robot.

"Minato-san's body temperature was extremely low," the blonde stated. "It is my duty to ensure he is healthy."

"Mitsuru-nee-sama," Minato complained to the senior, "you should really be careful with your Persona… It's really powerful!"

"Yuki," the senior's eyes flashed. "Get out of the hot spring this instant."

"But I'm cold," Minato whined as he submerged himself into the warm water. "Plus, Hamuko-chi's here. And Fuuka-chan too!" He threw his arms around both girls. "You both don't mind if I stay, right?" He brightened at a thought. "Oh! Oh!" He raised a hand as though he were in class. "Ai-chan! Who do you think has the best body measurements? Personally, I'm most attracted to Fuuka-chan!"

"Minato-kun!" Fuuka covered her face with her hands out of embarrassment.

Aigis blinked at the boy. "To be honest, I am rather surprised by the difference between human bodies. More specifically…"

"Aigis!" Yukari interrupted the robot. "Okay, that's enough." She pulled the blonde girl out of the water. "Let's go. I'll treat you to some ice cream."

The mechanical maiden nodded. "Ice cream would be quite useful. I require some cooling down."

Hamuko dunked her brother underwater before turning towards Mitsuru and Fuuka. "You should go with them. I'll take care of my brother."

"Are you sure?" Mitsuru frowned at her.

"Will he really be okay?" Fuuka worriedly asked as the boy began flailing.

"Yeah, we'll be alright. I've dealt with him like this before." Hamuko finally let her brother up for air and he began sputtering. "You should go before he recovers."

Mitsuru nodded as she and Fuuka quickly returned indoors. Once he was able to breathe properly again, Minato pouted as he realized everyone else was gone. "Aw… where'd everybody go?" he asked as a sad frown appeared on his face.

"No idea," Hamuko sighed as she kept an eye on her excitable brother. "Hey, stay put! I don't want you causing any trouble."

Her brother ignored her as he looked around the empty bath. "Hm… Yuka-tan said something about ice cream, didn't she?" the boy asked himself. A bright smile appeared on his face. "I want some too! Ice cream after a hot spring is the best! I'll treat everyone! Let's go join them, Hamuko-chi!" Minato quickly tried to get out of the pool but his sister quickly restrained him. "Hey! Let go!" he whined.

"Nii-san!" Hamuko scolded him. "You can't go inside when they're changing!"

"Why not?" The boy brightly smiled at his sister. "I don't mind!"

"But they do!" she cried.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. They're all very beautiful girls, after all," Minato shrugged as he fought against Hamuko's grip. "And the two of us have seen each other without clothes before."

"Yeah, but that's only because we're twins! Nii-san! We're staying here until they're done!"

"No! I want to see Fuuka-chan!"

"Nii-san!" Hamuko sharply pulled on his arm but slipped backwards into the water. "Whoa!"

Minato laughed as the water splashed him. "I win!" the boy cheerfully exclaimed as he returned indoors. "Wahoo!"

"No, wait! Nii-san!" When Hamuko finally got back to her feet, she heard the other girls' surprised screams. "Ugh… Is he looking for another Execution!?" she asked nobody in particular.

Minato let out a whimper as Fuuka slapped him as hard as she could. "Fuuka-chan…" he whimpered. "That's not very nice… That hurt…" He paused as the air in the room suddenly chilled. "U-um… Yuka-tan… Mitsuru-nee-sama… What's with those looks?" He painfully screamed as both girls executed him with wind and ice.

Final Notes: And I'm pretty sure they made Minato treat them to ice cream anyways... It's always much more fun getting caught and executed. I purposefully actually just walk towards them just to see the chaos. Poor Junpei in the movie... For some reason though, I kinda expected for him to lose his towel. Oh, something weird though... So Ryoji is there and Aigis isn't really hiding the fact that she's not human in this scene. Um... shouldn't he be questioning things? Also, if an Execution is Mitsuru encasing them in ice... Poor Ryoji getting caught up in something he has no business being in...