Well, after much debate, I decided to finish up the Summer Festival. I narrated most of the Drama CD but I also dropped certain parts and changed some things. Hopefully, the end result will still entertain all of you awesome people out there. x)

Also, many thanks to our Guests ? and Eirlys for reviewing! I really appreciate the feedbacks. C:

On a side note, this was over 15,000 words! *stoned* No wonder I feel dead now...

Fragments of Our Life

Summer Festival: Snapshots

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Operation Start! ...Maybe?

"So this is a summer festival," Aigis said as she looked around, hard drive whirling and taking everything in, "There are approximately 480 times more people than usual."

"That's because people normally don't come here," Fuuka explained, taking in the scenery with bright eyes, "Naganaki Shrine's always been quiet but, with all the stalls and decorations, it really feels different now, ne?"

"It's festive 'cause it's a festival~!" Minako cheered, twirling around with a happy grin, "Fes-ti-val~ Fes-ti-val~ YATTA~!"

"Aa~ Leader can be such a kid," Yukari giggled with no little amusement before Fuuka suddenly yelped,

"Ah, wait, Aigis–"

Bam!

A plethora of colorful plastic pieces rained from the sky.

"…My apologies. It would appear that they are not hidden cameras," the mechanical maiden intoned with a hint of disappointment as she lowered her arms, "Forgive me. I may have compromised our position..."

"Well, at least no one's hurt, right?" Minako laughed, patting the blonde on the arm. "Not to mention it was pretty cool how you shot the balloons from so far away!"

"'Cool'…?" Aigis repeated with confusion, "Do you mean to say that my technique lacks heat? Because the exact temperature generated with each round fired is–"

"Ooooookay! That's enough!" Yukari quickly cut in upon seeing more and more people pass by them before she smacked her fellow brunette over the head, "And Minako! Don't encourage her like that!"

"B-But–!" The red-eyed girl pouted. "It was cool, Yuka-tan~!"

That simply earned her another scolding.

No Leader is Perfect

"Minako-chan's been hanging around Junpei-kun a lot, hasn't she?" Fuuka tittered.

"Given school hours and dorm life," Aigis inputted (not so) helpfully, "They spend approximately 34% of the day together."

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" groaned the archer with a face-palm before she shook her head and wondered, "Where did our innocent Leader go…?"

"To the yakitori stall, I reckon," came a familiar chuckle.

"Mitsuru-senpai," Fuuka greeted happily, "Thank goodness you were able to come!"

"Yes, that is, the meeting ended earlier than expected," the redhead explained with an amused huff, "Aigis' abrupt appearance and proclamation yesterday may have had something to do with it."

"So she really did crash the meeting," Yukari mumbled under her breath before remembering, "Hey, wait, did you say yakitori stall…?"

A small grin appeared on Mitsuru's lips as she gestured down the pathway.

Curious, the younger girls and one mechanical maiden turned before–

"Thank you, ma'am~!"

–sweating (or blinking in Aigis' case) at the sight of Minako holding three yakitori sticks, two grilled squids, one box of takoyaki and paying for a bag of cotton candy.

"…It's a good thing Shadows never come with snacks, huh," Yukari sighed exaggeratedly, "Otherwise, Leader would never fight them…!"

And then they'd totally be stuck in Tartarus.

"Let it never be known her weakness is food…"

Must To-ler-ate!

"Be careful! It's–"

Chomp. Chew. Swallow.

"–hot…" Minako sweated at the blonde's impassive face before sighing and poking the other's cheek. "So? How was it?"

Crystalline eyes blinked as Fuuka handed her a napkin before Aigis thanked her and dabbed at her lips, answering, "Thirty-six point one degrees Celsius… What a dangerous thing for humans to eat. Does it not scald your tongue, Minako-san?"

Said brunette laughed softly. "There's a reason why I haven't bitten into it yet, Ai-chan."

"Waiting for the takoyaki to cool first." The mechanical maiden nodded. "I comprehend."

Off to the side, Yukari shook her head and sighed before leaning over to the quiet redhead and asking in a low tone, "Hey, is it really okay for Aigis to have come with us?"

Mitsuru glanced over at her before closing her eyes and chuckling, "It can't be helped. She wanted to come," her arms folded in front of her, "When I consulted with the Chairman, he said it was a great opportunity to observe her emotional drive so permission was given."

That only made the archer groan with exasperation. "Ikutsuki-san's totally having fun with this, isn't he?"

"Please do not fret, Yukari-san," Aigis spoke up, suddenly appearing beside her and making her jump, "With the festival's specialized disguise, my camouflage is perfect."

"Geez, you almost gave me a heart attack," sighed the brunette, hand over her heart, before she blinked, "Hey, wait, so you were talking about the yukata before?"

The mechanical maiden nodded and motioned to her violet daisy-printed clothes. "Like this, none shall know of my true appearance."

"Blending in like ninjas~," Minako sang and turned before smiling sheepishly, "Although I didn't have one on hand…"

"Same here," Yukari mumbled, picking at her red checkered and rose-printed outfit, "Traditional clothes just aren't my thing…"

"We all had to borrow from Mitsuru-senpai," Fuuka said softly as she looked down at her own azure sunflower-printed yukata before turning to bow to the redhead, "Senpai, thank you very much for doing this for us!"

The others followed suit, chorusing their own thanks, and Mitsuru blushed, a bit flustered by their gratitude, before she coughed, "Yes, well, it was Aigis who said we should all disguise ourselves. She wouldn't listen otherwise."

Minako giggled, easily imagining how unrelenting the blonde could be, before she gently bumped her shoulder against Mitsuru's, chirping, "We really are grateful to you though, Senpai!"

Her cheeks darkened as the redhead averted her eyes, fiddling discreetly with the sleeves of her own white snapdragon-printed yukata, but the soft smile on her lips was filled with obvious joy.

"So, Aigis-chan," Fuuka spoke up as she looked over at the blonde, "How does it feel to wear one?"

"…The sash that wraps around me is quite tight," the mechanical maiden reported, hand over her torso, "To actually wear it properly, a ground-breaking training was required."

Minako couldn't help but laugh at that before cheering, "In any case, it looks really summer-y on you!"

A question mark was almost visible above her head as Aigis looked confused and repeated, "'Summer-y'?"

"Yup~!" The red-eyed girl smiled. "By that, I mean it looks really nice!"

Comprehension dawned before the mechanical maiden raised a hand and declared, "Well then, everyone looks 'summer-y' with it!'

Fuuka giggled at the two as Yukari gave a small curtsy. "Thank you for the compliment!"

"Heehee~!" A kittenish smile played on Minako's lips as she twirled around again, showing off her white violet-printed yukata. "Don't you all just feel so happy like this~?"

"It is quite relaxing," Mitsuru hummed, taking in the warm atmosphere, "Recreation is every bit as important as training after all."

"…I could do without the geta though," the archer admitted as she looked down at her footwear, "It pinches a little," a pout appeared, "We've only been here for a bit but the tips of my toes already hurt!"

"I suppose Aigis-chan's lucky in that respect" Fuuka pointed out and the redhead sighed, "I'm afraid I wasn't able to prepare any for her given the short notice."

"It is a pity that I must walk geta-less," the blonde intoned, "I would have preferred to share the experience."

She then crouched down to examine the sandals. "In any case, it appears that the geta causes pain because the left and right side are separated." Her head tilted in thought. "As soon as the activity commences, you must bare with the pain until it is over. Otherwise…" She frowned.

"This summer festival…" Aigis shuddered. "What a dreadful place."

A Test of True Skills

"Hey, girls!"

They snapped to attention and turned to see a stall owner waving at them.

"Do you wanna fish for yo-yos?"

"'Fish for yo-yos'?" Aigis stepped forward and asked, "Are these 'yo-yos' types of fishes?"

Mitsuru laughed softly at that and shook her head, explaining, "No, Aigis. They're those water balloons over there," she gestured to said objects, "It's a game where you 'fish' for them."

"See there? On the water balloons?" Fuuka added in, "There's a string attached to it, right? So, you take the hook and try to scoop it out."

"I see…!" The mechanical maiden was obviously interested. "Aside from entertainment, it also trains one in timing and hand-eye coordination…!"

"Something like that." Minako grinned and clasped her hands behind her back. "Why don't we try it together?"

"Sounds good!" Yukari agreed and turned to the man, "Could we have some hooks please?"

"Sure thing, lassie," he laughed and handed the tools out, "Many thanks and good luck!"

Each of them crouched down to the pool of water before Yukari mumbled, "Ah~… I feel a bit nervous," a blush painted her cheeks as she admitted, "I've never actually done this before…"

Fuuka giggled at that and held up the hook, advising, "You see how it's actually paper, right? It's best if you not let it stay in the water for too long. Kind of like goldfish scooping!"

Brown eyes blinked at that before Yukari smiled bemusedly. "Fuuka, you seem pretty confident about this."

She giggled and pinched her pointer-finger and thumb close together. "Just a bit."

Yukari bowed her head and sighed exaggeratedly before turning to her fellow brunette. "What about you, Lead–"

"Done."

"So quick!"

Red eyes sparkled and the archer was stunned before a cheer caused her to turn and squeak,

"Fuuka got one too!?"

A splash caused Yukari to turn again just in time to see–

"Magnifique…!"

–Mitsuru holding up her own prize with a proud smile.

"It is a test of true skill," Aigis spoke with a sagely nod, holding up her own prize, and the Lovers slumped over.

They all got one…

Scratching his head, the stall owner laughed, "Wow! You girls are pretty good at this," he then turned to the nervous brunette, "Why don't you give it a go too?"

Uh…

Eyes turned on her and Yukari sweated, suddenly feeling pressured, before she shook her head to rid herself of her anxiety and smacked her cheeks to focus.

I can do this…!

Raising a hand, she narrowed her eyes in concentration and–

Swoosh!

–her hand darted forward as the hook glided across the water and snagged the string before–

Splash!

.

.

.

"You have failed," Aigis pointed out.

Yukari bowed over in depression, causing Minako to pat her back sympathetically. "There, there…"

"And you were so close too," Fuuka bemoaned.

"Perhaps you should try again?" Mitsuru suggested, "It was your first time after all…"

The gloomy aura surrounding the archer made them all sweat.

"…Here." The man leaned over the counter and plucked the yo-yo that Yukari had aimed for, handing it to her. "You can have it!"

"E-Eh?!" Fuuka looked a bit hesitant. "Is that really okay with you?"

But he simply laughed, "Just think of it as a bonus!"

Blinking in surprise, Yukari blushed and took the gift before bowing lowly and squeaking, "Thank you very much, mister!"

The stall owner rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling, "This old man's weak against cute girls…"

Feeling touched, everyone bowed simultaneously, chorusing,

"Thank you very much!"

But he simply waved them off cheerfully. "No need to thank me. Just come by another time!"

After giving their gratitudes once more, the girls left with bright smiles gracing their lips.

"What a nice guy," Minako sighed, tossing up and catching her yo-yo, as Fuuka nodded happily, chirping, "Isn't it great that we got a bonus?"

"Shopkeeper-san said that 'cute girls' were his weakness," Aigis pointed out, "Given the situation, the reason why this operation had succeeded was because you were all a 'hit'."

"E-Eh?!" Fuuka squeaked with a blush, "T-That's not– That is–," she struggled for a moment before sighing, "For girls to be given a bonus is a custom of sorts or…" she trailed off and flustered, "A-Anyway, it's something like that!"

The blonde tilted her head and thought on that for a moment before deciding, "In that case, I believe that being a female is a valuable trump card."

Expression abruptly cooling, Mitsuru turned away and murmured, "That isn't always the case though."

"But," Yukari argued, "If we were guys, then it might not have turned out this way," she bit her lower lip, "In reality, being a female is an advantage, but," frustration flickered across her face, "Well, it's a little complicated."

Red eyes glanced between the redhead and her fellow brunette with a hint of worry before turning to Aigis.

Catching onto the silent request, the mechanical maiden held up the water balloon and asked, "By the way, how do you use this 'yo-yo'?"

"Oh, um, well…" Fuuka fiddled with her own prize. "You just slip your finger through the string and…"

"…I see." Aigis nodded and mimicked the aqua-haired girl. "You hit it gently with the palm of your hand and–"

BAM!

There was a beat of silence–

"I seem to have broken it."

–before Yukari snorted and covered her lips, snickering, as Mitsuru laughed softly with a shake of her head.

"Even though it was a gift," the mechanical maiden mourned though her eyes glittered with something akin to relief, "I apologize."

"Aw~ It's okay!" Minako chirped with a thankful smile before wrapping an arm around the other's and looking her over, "More importantly, did you get wet?"

"Negative." Aigis shook her head. "Zero damage has been done to my specialized disguise."

Just then, a familiar voice called out to them,

"Yo! Looks like everyone's gathered here!"

Girls Meet Boys

"Junpei-kun!" Fuuka gasped in pleasant surprise as Minako turned to greet him cheerfully, "Hi-ho, Jun-chan!"

"So someone DID take you on a date?!" Yukari looked struck with amazement and Junpei gave her an unamused look before jerking a thumb over his shoulder and grumping, "Yeah. He did."

"Hi~!" The brunet grinned widely as he walked up to them. "I'm everyone's idol, Kenji Tomochika-kun~!"

"Kenji dragged us out," Junpei explained with a sigh, "And here I wanted an actual date…"

"Us…?" Fuuka echoed before Mitsuru greeted, "It is good to see you out and about tonight, Arisato."

Silver eyes blinked blearily and the blue-haired boy nodded slowly before yawning and–

"Wha–Hey!"

–leaning on Minako, dozing off.

"Haha~ Well, at least he's not petting you, ne, 'Pochibi'?" Yukari snickered, nudging her fellow brunette slyly, "Instead, it looks like you just got upgraded to being a pillow!"

"Yu-ka-ri~!" Minako whined, trying not to blush but failing when she felt Minato nuzzle her shoulder, "Stop picking on me~!"

But the other was lost in laughter.

"Ah~ Young love~…" Kenji chuckled while nodding in a sagely manner.

"Well?" Junpei teased, squishing Minako's cheek against her fellow Wild Card's, "Aren't you gonna wake Sleeping Beauty over there with a kiss?"

She sputtered incoherently, not noticing Minato's own blush, before the relentless boys yelped when they were pushed over.

"Alright, dumbos, cut it out!"

"Y-Yuko-chan?" Minako stuttered in surprise before perking up, "And Rio-chan too! It's great to see you both here!"

She made a movement to hug the two in greeting but–"Gah!"–couldn't when Minato's grip tightened and she would've tripped had she not been caught by Rio.

"Looks like you're in quite a bind," the light-skinned athlete laughed softly before leaning in and whispering conspiratorially, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Heat exploded on her face as Minako stuttered, "T-That's not–We're not–I just–!"

"Oho? How very suspicious~," Yuko almost sang with a sly smile, "Blushing? Stuttering? Compromising position? Check, check and double-check~! People, I think we've got ourselves a lovey-dovey couple here~!"

"You guuuuuuys~…" the Wild Card whined, covering her face in pure embarrassment, "Stop being so mean to meeeeee~…!"

She could've sworn she heard Minato chuckle but the boy seemed as sleepy as ever.

"Everyone's getting along so well~," Fuuka giggled happily as Yukari snickered slyly, "I think this is the first time Minako's gotten so flustered!"

Her pout only caused the archer to laugh out loud.

"Oh!" Yuko looked surprised, as if just noticing the others, before smiling. "I didn't introduce myself yet, did I? Good evening!" She bowed briefly. "I'm Yuko Nishiwaki."

"Yuko… Oh!" Fuuka clapped her hands together in remembrance. "You're the manager of the boys' sports team, right?"

"Mm, that's right!" The dark-skinned girl nodded before jabbing a finger at Minato. "I help train Sleepy over there." She then patted her friend on the shoulder. "And this is Rio Iwasaki."

"We're in the same club!" Minako chirped upon seeing a few puzzled looks and Rio bowed, stuttering, "G-Good evening, everyone."

Kenji cast her a confused look. "Rio, are you actually nervous?"

An arm wrapped around his neck, jerking him down a bit, as she hissed, "You idiot! That's the Student Council President right there…!"

"There are some pretty incredible people here, huh…" Yuko was beginning to look a bit nervous before relaxing when Minako smiled at her and explained, "We all live in the same dorm."

"How nice~!" Kenji sighed after ducking out of the chokehold, "I wanna live in that dorm too," he then turned to stare blankly at his friends, "I'm so jealous of you two that I might explode."

Minato simply snuggled against Minako, making her sigh in exasperation this time, as Junpei smirked cheekily.

"Sorry, dude," snickered the capped boy, "Awesome people only."

"I am awesome," the brunet protested, "I just can't believe you're living there!"

"Ditto that." Yukari nodded firmly.

"So cruel!"

When the Going Gets Tough, You Better Get Going!

"…We'll be looking around over there," Mitsuru suddenly spoke up, gesturing in a direction, "Shall we go, Aigis?

"Yes!" came her immediate answer and the redhead tilted her head to the others, "Well then, please excuse us."

"See ya later~!" Minako cheerfully waved them off as the two walked away, speaking of masks and special disguises…

"…I wonder if we annoyed her since we're younger," Yukari murmured nervously.

Red eyes blinked as the brunette tilted her head in thought before inputting, "I think it was because of Ai-chan."

Kenji perked up at the unfamiliar name and asked, "Was she that blonde-haired girl? She lives at the dorm too?"

"Well… Yeah." Junpei answered and readjusted his cap.

The brunet whistled. "Wow! Isn't she, like, totally cute?!"

"Only her looks," the tall male sighed before turning to grin at the girls, "Anyway, I can't believe that everyone's wearing a yukata! It's like a dream come true~!"

"Isn't it?" Minako cheered, lifting her arms to show off the sleeves and almost hitting Minato in the face had he not shifted his position. Fuuka blushed shyly and ducked behind Yukari who rolled her eyes at them.

"Yes, it is~! It even feels a little different than usual," Kenji immediately agreed before deadpanning at Rio and Yuko, "You guys should've worn one too, y'know?"

"…Shut up," the black-haired girl mumbled. Yuko huffed, "We would've if you two doofuses weren't here."

"What do you mean by that?!" Junpei looked affronted. "And why isn't he included?!"

Minako blinked up at the blue-haired boy who tilted his head back, shrugged and smirked, causing several girlish hearts to flutter.

"E-Exactly as it means," the manager managed to answer before quickly turning to the aspiring athlete, "Anyway, Rio, you can tie the sash yourself, right? You should've worn one!"

She looked startled before shaking her head, denying, "N-No… It wouldn't suit me."

"That's true." Kenji nodded in agreement. "Rio just isn't yukata-material, y'know?"

"T-That's not true!" Fuuka looked indignant on the other's behalf. "Iwasaki-san has such nice black hair. And her skin is white. I think she'd look nice in one!"

"R-Really?" Rio stuttered with bright eyes before she was shot down when Kenji waved a hand, drawling, "But we're talking about Rio, y'know? It's just wrong, ain't it?"

Minako twitched.

"…'wrong'…?" she repeated softly and Minato shivered, loosening his grip around her. Uh oh…

"That's a bit…mean." Fuuka frowned disapprovingly.

"H-Huh?" Kenji stuttered, clearly confused, "What do you mean?"

"You–!" Patience snapping, Yukari stomped up to the boy and poked him in the chest roughly. "Just who do you think you are, huh?!"

Seeing the situation turn bad, Junpei jumped in with a nervous laugh. "H-Hey, Yuka-tan, calm down, will ya? It's just that this guy's into older women and, if we go by that, Rio-chin's just 'wrong' for him, y'know?"

Wrong move, Junpei, thought the blue-haired boy with a wince as he stepped away from his bristling other half, I just hope–

"Yeah, that's it!" the brunet piped up, "Rio's childish so, when she wears a yukata or anything girly, I just don't wanna see it!"

Minato face-palmed. Damn it, Kenji…!

"It's a bit like 'gap moe', right?" the capped boy added and waved a hand around, explaining, "A girl who's usually cheerful will become melancholic during those summer nights…"

And he just poured oil on fire… The Wild Card grimaced, taking a few more steps away from Minako as he felt a familiar presence stir from within. Oh boy…

"I understand how you feel," Kenji sighed, completely swept away by their talk, "If it's not an adult, I just lose interest."

He frowned (not so) thoughtfully. "Besides, when girls wear something different than usual, they tend to act weirder…"

Junpei froze as a distinct wave of deathly aura washed over him.

"And a yukata looks more erotic if it's loose, y'know?" Kenji continued, nodding to himself, "When I see it all tied up, I just wanna scream, 'Don't come here!' And–"

"Stop, Kenji! Stop!" the capped boy hissed before squeaking, "Uh oh…"

It was then that the brunet finally realized the tension crackling in the air.

"It seems you're having an interesting conversation." Minako smiled though her usually warm eyes were colder than the arctic ice.

"We're soooo sorry that we act weirder than usual," Yukari drawled, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

"Y-You see what you just did…?!" Junpei whimpered, cowering away when a vague silhouette of Death appeared over their leader before jerking at the sight of a certain blue-haired boy sneaking away.

OI! The capped boy screamed in his mind. Don't leave us behind!

As if hearing him, Minato paused in mid-step and turned stiffly before abruptly straightening up and saluting.

…I see nothing.

He vanished like a ninja and all Junpei could do was cry.

Whatever happened to 'bros before hoes'?!

Exceptions being non-hoes.

Should've Done It

Some time later…

"Geez!" Yuko scowled darkly, stomping her feet. "He's such a brat."

"Seriously," Yukari agreed, crossing her arms, "Absolutely zero tact!"

A heavy sigh left her lips before the archer turned to her fellow brunette with a puzzled look on her face. "By the way, Leader, you're pretty quiet over there…"

Minako didn't say anything for a moment, clenching and unclenching her hands, before she stepped forward with a raised fist and growled, "I'm still not satisfied…!"

"Wait, Minako-chan!" Fuuka yelped, quickly grabbing her. "Don't do it! Violence isn't always the answer…!"

"T-That's right, Minako! It's really fine," Rio was quick to reassure the Wild Card, feeling warm that the other cared so much. "I really don't mind."

"It's fine if you do, though, y'know?" Yuko pointed out with a frown, "You spoil Kenji way too much so he'll reflect on everything if you leave him."

The athlete shifted uncomfortably and mumbled, "But, it's not like I want to leave him…"

"Seriously…?" Yukari huffed, "You're way too nice in my opinion," a pause, "Wait… Could it be…?"

She eyed the other carefully and a lightbulb flickered on. "Iwasaki, do you…like him…?"

Rio blinked, surprised, before blushing and looking away, stuttering, "Uh, well, I," she shrank in on herself, "…yeah…"

"…eh…?"

A beat of silence before her answer was processed.

"EEEEEEEEEHHH?!"

"You see?" Minako grumped, crossing her arms and glaring in the direction the boys had run off in, Tch, if only I had my naginata…

"But he's a good person!" Rio protested.

That simply made the brunette's expression sour even more as red eyes narrowed. "Not if he almost made you cry, Ri-chan."

"Then…" Fuuka frowned. "He really was being mean earlier…"

Feeling sympathetic, Yukari patted the black-haired girl on the shoulder. "Forget it. He's just an idiot so stick with us, okay?"

The athlete was torn between wanting to hug them for their support and wanting to defend the boy whom she liked so much.

"Just ditch him," Yuko said, instinctively knowing what Rio was thinking, "'Sisters before misters,' remember?"

The athlete still seemed indecisive.

A sigh left Yukari's lips and she leaned over to Minako, whispering, "I can see why you were so angry before."

She grimaced. "…It showed?"

"Yup." The archer nodded before grinning. "A little longer and I think you would've summoned Thanatos for real."

The smirk that appeared on her lips told of how much fun that could've been.

Who's the Best?

"…Oh!"

Everyone turned to Fuuka as she looked around in confusion.

"Where did Minato-kun go?"

Brown eyes blinked before the archer mimicked the aqua-haired girl's action and mused, "Come to think of it, he disappeared before we taught those doofuses a lesson, right?"

"Smart choice," Minako commented and heaved a sigh, "A~ah! I still want to hunt 'em down!"

Before anyone could respond, a familiar voice asked,

"Is something the matter?"

"Mitsuru-senpai, Aigis-chan!" Fuuka smiled brightly before hesitating. "Um, that is…"

The mechanical maiden tilted her head before pointing out, "You all seem to be quite angry."

The juniors glanced at one another and made a face in remembrance.

"Hm?" The redhead was clearly confused and looked around. "Where are Arisato, Iori and the other one? Have they gone home already?"

"Don't care," Minako huffed, turning away and crossing her arms.

Seeing the brunette's uncharacteristic anger, Mitsuru frowned with a hint of worry. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

They stayed silent before Yukari sighed and stepped up to the plate.

"Minato-kun slipped away a while ago," the archer explained, "But it was really Junpei and his stupid friend who pissed us off," she scowled, "They said some things to annoy us so we drove them away," a sniff, "Honestly! No delicacy at all!"

Yuko nodded in agreement. "They're even more childish than children!"

"But everyone seems childish to you, Yuko," Rio sighed, "Especially Miyamoto-kun."

That seemed to really steam the manager. "It's like Kazushi never grew up!" She stamped her foot irritably. "Participating on that ankle of his and Minato-kun never stopped him despite–" Her words degenerated into a bunch of angry sounds.

"Someone save us from the immaturity of teenage boys," Minako grumbled.

The others nodded in consensus.

"…You know," Yukari mused after a moment, "I bet, out of all the guys we know, Ken-kun's the most mature."

"Maybe." Fuuka agreed with a nod. "Junpei-kun can be really reckless sometimes too."

"Same with Minato-kun," Minako sighed somewhat melancholically, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "I know he wants to help but…" Rushing the Guardians is not the way to do it…!

"Akihiko-san cannot beat Ken-san either," Aigis pointed out, partaking in the analysis of the male sex, "Every time he is with Ken-san, my sensors detect nervousness."

Two pairs of dark eyes blinked in surprise. "Sen…sors…?"

Mitsuru swiftly cut in with a professional smile. "She's a transfer student so her Japanese still needs work."

Fuuka quickly took over and stuttered, "S-So it seems like Akihiko-senpai isn't very good with children, ne?"

Attention successfully diverted, the girls of SEES breathed a sigh of relief as Rio wondered, "Akihiko-senpai… Isn't he the captain of the boxing team?"

"Yeah," Yukari joined in the diversion and nodded, "He even has this HUGE fan club."

"I've seen them around," Yuko deadpanned before asking out of pure curiosity, "Akihiko-senpai lives at the dorm too, right? What's he like?"

"Akihiko hasn't changed much since I'd first met him," Mitsuru chuckled with a nostalgic and slightly exasperated smile, "Even though his kouhai worry about him, he still conducts like a child."

"He always wants to do the impossible, right?" giggled Fuuka.

And a laugh left the redhead's lips. "Yes. I can't say that he's very mature either."

"Yeah," Yukari sighed almost mournfully, "He'd just get these impulses at times."

"How surprising," Yuko exclaimed, "Since he looks really mature and all," her shoulders slumped over, "Maybe there's no such thing as a mature guy…?"

A somewhat depressed air fell over them before Yukari remembered and snapped her fingers.

"Oh! What about him?" she started and turned to Minako, "You know, the guy who helped us out on Port Island?"

"The guy who…" Red eyes widened. "Oh! You mean Aragaki-san, right?"

"Right." The archer nodded before turning to the redhead. "Mitsuru-senpai, do you know who he is? It seems like he's Akihiko-senpai's friend."

"Aragaki, ka…" Mitsuru closed her eyes and smiled. "Yes, I know him. He may not be attending it now, but he's a third year."

"He did tell us that," Minako mumbled as Yukari turned to the others and explained, "He looks scary and all, but he seems like a pretty nice guy."

Intrigued, Fuuka asked, "Is he the one who helped Natsuki-chan and the others?"

"Mmhm!" The brunettes nodded in answer.

"I think I've heard of him too," Rio piped up, "When our club members got drunk, this kind of scary guy always helped them out," she hummed, "I wonder if we're talking about the same person…?"

Mitsuru looked shocked before sobering and whispering to herself, "I see… Aragaki had…"

"–and then he'd scold them by saying, 'Don't go hanging around here this late,'" Rio continued, trying to mimic a gruff man's voice and making the others laugh.

"We got scolded too, huh?" Yukari murmured to Minako, who nodded with a sheepish smile, before Mitsuru chuckled, "He often scolded Akihiko as well."

"Akihiko-senpai too?" Fuuka asked, trying to imagine it.

It was then that red eyes sparkled mischievously and the Wild Card teased, "Ah, but Mitsuru-senpai also scolds him, right~?"

The redhead blushed and stuttered, "T-That's not– I didn't–"

"You do! You do!" the brunettes cheered in tandem, "Yes, you do~!"

An Execution would've been in order but…

"Senpai has such a cute side to her coolness!"

…certain casualties were unnecessary.

Man, Boy and Beast

"Achoo!"

"Oh! Is the AC too cold for you?" Ken asked, looking up from the TV and over at his idol, "Should I go turn it down?"

"No, I don't think that's–" Akihiko cut off with another sneeze. "What the…?"

"Maybe someone's talking about you?" the boy suggested before–"A'chu…!"–he also sneezed, "Uh…"

Confused, the boxer scratched his head and mused, "Is it Koromaru's fur…?"

Said dog whined pitifully, making Akihiko laugh and apologize before remembering.

"Oh yeah!" He pounded a fist into his palm. "I'm supposed to walk Koromaru tonight." He glanced over at the clock: it was ten before seven. "Guess I should go before it gets too late or something."

Standing up, the boxer stretched and mused aloud, "Which course should I take…? Naganaki Shrine's hosting a festival so it'll be crowded but…"

Gray eyes trailed to the Shiba-Inu who panted and tilted his head in question.

"Um, well, Yukari-san and the others were talking about yukata earlier," Ken piped up, "I think they've gone there so you could meet up with them…?"

"Yeah, they did," Akihiko sighed, scratching his head, "Even made Aigis wear one and left giggling," he frowned and looked at the sign-out sheet, "Looks like Junpei and Minato left too…"

Realizing that the youngest would be left alone, he turned and asked, "You don't want to go, Ken?"

"Huh? Ah… No…" The brunet shook his head. "I'm not really interested in those things."

"…Oh."

There was a pause before Ken asked, "And you, Sanada-san?"

"I hate it when there's a lot of people," the boxer admitted and the boy perked up, nodding in agreement, "Me too."

Another moment of silence passed before Akihiko questioned, "You haven't had supper yet, right? Want me to buy something for you?"

Flustered, Ken looked away and stuttered, "I-It's fine! I'd feel bad if I make you go in my stead…"

"It's fine." The boxer waved off his hesitation. "I'm buying something too so it's along the way."

"Well, t-then…" He thought for a moment. "Oh, um, what are you getting, Sanada-san? A beef bowl?"

"Hm? Well…" Akihiko crossed his arms and leaned against the receptionist desk. "Let's see… I guess I'll get either that or a hamburger from Wucky's. There's also takoyako from Octopia."

"Takoyaki," Ken mumbled, almost salivating, "It tastes good when it's sauce-flavored."

"Yeah." The boxer nodded with a grin. "But, when you think of festivals, you think of…"

"Okonomiyaki," cheered the boy before he coughed and stuttered, "O-Or yakisoba."

"Okonomiyaki, huh," Akihiko hummed thoughtfully, "Haven't had that in a while."

"Same here," Ken agreed with a nod before–

…goro~goro…

–both males blushed in embarrassment and clutched their stomachs.

"Ugh," Akihiko groaned a bit before straightening up and stating, "Well, if you want okonomiyaki, then we should buy some at the shrine."

"Eh?" The boy looked startled. "B-But, it's not like I really want some…" His expression stated otherwise. "I was just t-thinking of having some if you had some too."

"Oh, uh, well," the boxer stumbled over his words and ruffled his hair, "I was going to have some if you were going to too…"

"And I was also going to if you did too," Ken returned.

They were at a standstill, each staring the other down, before–

"Rrruff!"

…!

–they jumped and nearly tripped over themselves but managed to stay on their toes, turning to the dog.

Sitting beside the door, Koromaru grinned wolfishly at them, tail wagging rapidly, before he cocked his head to the side and seemed to raise a brow as if to say, Well? What are we waiting for? Food's waiting for us so let's go already!

.

.

.

Cough. "Shall we then?"

"…Yes!"

Resistance Is (Not) Futile

"And there they go," Yukari sighed after Minako stopped waving to Rio and Yuko, "It's too bad they couldn't stay any longer."

"Yeah," the red-eyed girl agreed with a frown, "That dummy better apologize to her properly before I see him next time or else," she punched into a hand, "I'll really unleash Thanatos on him…!"

"P-Please don't, Minako-chan," Fuuka stuttered worriedly, "We shouldn't abuse our power!"

Said brunette pouted at that before sighing, "Fine, fine…"

The aqua-haired girl looked relieved until Minako pumped a fist and declared, "I'll just unleash Eurydice on him then!"

"That's still not right!" squeaked Fuuka.

Yukari simply laughed, "Well, it'll definitely teach Kenji to watch his mouth next time!"

"Shall I join in on this lesson then?" Aigis piped up, "Perhaps Palladion–"

"Permission denied," Mitsuru cut the blonde off with a cool smile, "Please allow me to intervene should it get to that point."

"I comprehend," the mechanical maiden backed down with a nod.

"Senpai~!" Minako was positively beaming. "You're so cool!"

The redhead blushed and coughed. "In any case, what shall we do now?"

"Wanna go eat?" Yukari suggested before grimacing, "But, more importantly… Does someone have a bandage?"

Mitsuru blinked. "Why?"

"The string on this thing's too tight." The archer looked ready to cry as she bent down to massage her feet. "It feels like my toes are about to rip off!"

"Ah," Minako suddenly deadpanned as she also crouched, "I'm already bleeding."

"Wha–Hey! Tell us earlier!" Yukari scolded her fellow brunette before wincing, "Ow…"

"Found it!" Fuuka piped up as she pulled out a miniature first-aid kit, "Here you go!"

"As expected of Fuu-chan!" Minako cheered, eagerly holding out her hands, as Yukari nodded and chirped, "To be so prepared, you're the best~!"

"E-Eh? N-No, that's not–" The aqua-haired girl stuttered for a bit with a pleased blush. "It was just in my purse, that's all."

"Should I attain a purse as well?" Aigis asked.

Mitsuru chuckled, "We'll see about that."

.

.

.

"There!" The archer leaned back with a proud smile. "Treatment complete!"

"Are you okay now?" Fuuka asked, hovering over the brunettes.

"Yup!" Minako chirped before tilting her head thoughtfully, "My little toe still hurts though… But I'll heal soon enough!"

"That's good to hear." Mitsuru smiled before frowning. "Regardless, I do apologize for not giving you all better pairs…"

"It's okay, Senpai," Yukari reassured her, "We're just not used to wearing geta, that's all!"

"Perhaps I may be of assistance?" Aigis intoned as she held up one of the footwear, "We only need to stretch this string, correct?"

"Yup~," Minako answered and blinked before–

"Please leave this to me then!"

–stuttering a protest but–

Snap!

–it was too late.

"It seems to have broken."

Palming her forehead, Yukari sighed, "Aigis…"

"I apologize," the mechanical maiden said with a faint frown, "I had overestimated its resistance."

Unsure of whether to laugh at how silly the situation was or to mourn the loss of one of her slippers, Minako settled for an ambivalent, "Aa…"

"Shall I go get you something else to wear?" Mitsuru asked, looking around for a stall that may be selling a replacement.

Minako shook her head. "Don't worry–"

"I shall take responsibility and carry you," the mechanical maiden suddenly declared, "My carrying capacity is over 300 kilograms. Since Minako-san only weighs–"

"No." Yukari denied the blonde with a chop of her hand. "It'd be too weird."

"What should we do, Senpai?" Fuuka asked, turning to the redhead.

The Empress frowned, tapping a finger against her arm in thought, before she sighed, "To be honest, I'd rather not do something that could make us stand out…"

"That is unfortunate," Aigis intoned.

For whom?!

Their Badass Savior

"I wonder if I can walk with only one?" Minako mused aloud as she stood up, hopping a bit.

"But that's dangerous," Fuuka exclaimed, "You might step on glass!"

The brunette froze rather comically and looked down before abruptly sitting again, making the aqua-haired girl sigh in relief as Mitsuru and Yukari chuckled at their antics.

"Are you positive that I should not carry you?" Aigis asked and was quickly shot down by the archer.

"Seriously, Aigis," Yukari mumbled, "Stop asking before you attract unwanted attention."

The mechanical maiden looked quite confused.

"In any case, can you pass me the other one, Fuuka?" Minako piped up before more questions were asked, "I think I'll be fine if I just limp with it."

"A-Are you sure?" the aqua-haired girl asked even as she handed it over, "Maybe we should call one of the boys…?"

"Nah~," the Wild Card spoke in the negative and stood up, taking a few steps and smiling brightly, "See? It's fi–AH!"

Thud!

"Is it an enemy attack?!" Aigis readied her firearms but was waved off as Minako laughed sheepishly, "No, I just fell."

"Geez," Yukari sighed, slumping onto the bench, "You almost gave me a heart attack, Leader!"

"Sorry~," said brunette apologized with a blush.

"Oh! Your geta," Fuuka spoke up, trying to peer passed the trees, "I think it fell near the rock," she took a step forward, "I'll go get it for you!"

"Wait, Fuuka-san," the mechanical maiden interrupted, "Your foot also seems to have acquired a lot of damage. Therefore…!"

The sound of hard drive whirling intensified. "I shall be the one to retrieve it! Jet Propulsion act–"

"Cease and desist," Mitsuru ordered, "Your actions are too conspicuous, Aigis."

"Understood." The blonde saluted. "Shall I activate Stealth Mode first then?"

"I thought her yukata was already her camouflage," Yukari whispered to the other juniors before exclaiming, "Wait, she can't turn invisible, can she…?!"

"Um…" Fuuka smiled a bit helplessly. "I don't think technology's that advanced yet, Yukari-chan…"

"And I think you've watched way too many sci-fi movies," Minako snickered.

The archer blushed deeply and raised a fist threateningly.

"Mi-na-ko…!"

Just then, the bushes rustled and everyone jumped to their feet warily.

"What was that?!" Yukari squeaked, forgetting about her ire and ducking behind the Wild Card, "I-It's not a ghost, is it…?"

Doubtful… Minako sweated before perking up when a tall, imposing but familiar figure made himself known.

"Aragaki…!" Mitsuru gasped before swiftly recomposing herself, "You seem to be well enough."

"Yo, Kirijo," the beanie-wearing male greeted, "It's rare to see you here."

Aragaki…? Fuuka wondered, "Could you be the rumored…?"

Gray eyes shifted over to the soft-spoken girl and a brow raised. "Rumor…?"

"I-I'm sorry!" she squeaked under his gaze, blushing deeply as she also ducked behind Minako, Ah, I can't believe I was staring…!

…Am I doomed to be a meat shield? Minako couldn't help but wonder. Jun-chan, Yuka-chan and now Fuu-chan too…

She sighed even as the archer stepped out of hiding.

"Hi, Senpai," Yukari piped up with a smile, "We told her about the time you saved us on Port Island!"

"I see," Aigis intoned, fixing her crystalline eyes on him, "So you are the one who saved them."

Both brows raised before Shinjiro grunted and stared back unabashedly.

There was a certain tension in the air…

But it was ignored as Minako chirped, "Thanks again for helping us back then, Aragaki-san!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" The young man looked away. "No problem…"

Before an awkward silence could set in, Mitsuru spoke up, "It seems that many of our students have also been in your care, Aragaki. Allow me to express my gratitude as well," she tilted her head, "Thank you."

Tongue clicking, Shinjiro accurately guessed whom she was referring to and grumped, "I only helped them 'cause they were being loud. Tell them to find another place to loiter around."

"Understood. I will bring that up in the next meeting," the redhead chuckled, "However, this is rare. Have you also come to see the festival?"

"Nah," he denied with a shake of his head, "I was just passing by when I heard 'Hya~!' and then this thing came flying at me."

He held up a familiar geta and Minako started. "Oh! That's mine!"

"It's your fault again?" Shinjiro seemed almost amused, shaking the broken footwear as said brunette pouted. "How did this even happen? Were you trying to change the weather or something?"

"No!" Minako protested with a faint blush before toeing the floor and mumbling, "The string just…came off. That's all!"

"It came off?" He blinked and took a good look at the geta. "Yeah, you're right. How the hell did you even do this? Part of the geta came out too."

"I tried to stretch it," Aigis answered without batting an eye, "But when I pulled–"

"Aigis-chan! Shh!" Fuuka quickly hushed the blonde, earning herself a puzzled look.

"Geez…" Shinjiro sighed, not noticing or perhaps just ignoring the stilted explanation, "Guess there's no choice…"

The females of SEES blinked in surprise when the young man pulled out a cloth from one of his pockets.

"Are you sure you want to use your handkerchief?" Yukari asked, stepping closer to see what he was doing.

"It's shabby anyway," Shinjiro answered, looping the fabric into the hole of the geta before tying the ends into a knot.

"Oh?" Mitsuru raised a brow, impressed. "How skillful."

"It was originally designed this way," he explained, answering her silent question before tossing it before Minako, "Here, try it on."

"Ah, okay!" The brunette straightened up and slipped her foot into it. It fits…!

A small grin quirked his lips when Shinjiro saw her smile with clear delight. "It won't come off, right?"

"Yes!" Minako nodded happily, bouncing a bit, "It totally works! Thank you very much, Shinjiro-nii!"

"'S-Shinjiro-nii'…?" he stuttered, blushing almost invisibly, "Where do you get off calling me that…?!"

But his question went over her head as Minako cheerfully showed off her renewed geta to the others. "Look, look!"

Heaving a sigh, Shinjiro pulled down his beanie and grumbled incoherently under his breath, scrutinizing the red-eyed brunette and her bright smile, before his eyes softened and his lips tipped up into another small grin as he was reminded of another…

Miki…

A certain somberness descended over him upon remembering the past but he shook it off and grunted, "Well then, I'll be leaving if you're okay now."

He raised a hand and turned to leave when Mitsuru laughed softly.

Furrowing his brows, Shinjiro stared at her warily. "…What?"

The redhead simply closed her eyes and smiled. "It's nothing."

Sensing that he was unconvinced, Mitsuru chuckled again before tilting her head towards the younger girls. "You were worried, weren't you? Since you heard screams and the geta came flying." She nodded in the direction he came from. "So you climbed the rock on the other side…"

Shinjiro successfully fought back an embarrassed blush and scowled. "I just thought I heard some idiots, that's all."

His words were louder than he'd intended because Yukari soon jumped into the conversation, singing, "As I thought, you're actually really kind, Aragaki-senpai~!"

He turned away. "Tch, don't be stupid."

But Mitsuru's sharp eyes caught sight of the pleased look on his face and she smiled. "Thank you, Aragaki."

"Yeah!" Minako bounced up to him and grinned happily. "Thank you very much, Shinjiro-nii!"

"I-I'm not your b-brother," Shinjiro sputtered, pulling his beanie even lower, "And quit repeating yourselves already. I heard the first time…"

He started to leave when Fuuka piped up, "Oh, umm! Are you leaving without attending the festival?" Her voice held a hint of disappointment. "Even though you came all this way…?"

Shaking his head, Shinjiro waved a hand dismissively. "Festivals just ain't my style. I came to look for someone but, since people came, he probably left."

"We can help you look!" Minako suggested before wondering, "Are you looking for a person?"

"No, he's a d–" He coughed. "Anyway, it's got nothing to do with you guys." A disgruntled look appeared on his face. "Bye. You guys better return to a crowded place."

"No need to worry," Aigis intoned, stepping up to Minako's side, "I have switched to Safe Mode and our destination is nearby."

That made him look at her strangely.

"Oh, umm," Fuuka flustered, "S-She's been asked to act this way!"

A brow raised before Shinjiro shrugged and walked away with an airy, "I wasn't confused about that." But is there really a chick so weird?

"…We seem to be causing you trouble," Mitsuru apologized when he reached her.

He gave her a look as a thought nagged at him before he spoke, "I'm afraid to ask but… Has Aki been eating proper meals?"

A small grin appeared on her lips and the redhead nodded. "Yes. Little by little, he's been trying to eat less meat." She tilted her head. "I believe he's been eating at Octopia now."

Holding back a groan, Shinjiro sighed instead. "I was wrong to ask you."

She looked mildly puzzled but shook it off.

"Do you have any messages for Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked as he trudged back to where he came.

A grunt. "Eat vegetables."

And she laughed. "How like you to say that."

"Shut up." He scowled and ducked into the shadows without another glance back. "Bye."

There was a moment of silence before–

"See? He's a good person."

–Yukari chirped, turning to Fuuka.

"He's still a little scary though," the aqua-haired girl admitted before blushing, "But I think I'd like to know him better…"

She trailed off and squeaked when the archer nudged her slyly.

"Oo~ Is someone interested in a certain bad boy~?"

"Y-Yukari-chan!" Fuuka covered her face in embarrassment. "That's not what I meant…!"

Aigis turned to Mitsuru and asked, "If Aragaki-san is a 'good person', then how can he be a 'bad boy' as well?"

"It's a figure of speech, Aigis," the redhead explained with an amused smile, "Referring to a male whose rebellious nature appears attractive. A 'bad boy', in short."

Red eyes sparkled mischievously before Minako twirled around, singing,

"Bad boy~! Bad boy~! What'cha gonna do~? What'cha gonna do when I come for you~?"

"Minako-chan!"

"Teehee~!"

Team Skirt Chaser Unite!

"So what have you been doing?" Akihiko asked, breaking the silence as they trekked along the sidewalk, "Finished all of your homework yet? If not, then–"

"I'm all done," Ken answered, keeping his eyes on the road, "I don't have any left."

"…Oh."

The boxer rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, that's good…"

There was a moment in which they could've sworn crows flew over their heads…

"S-So," the brunet started awkwardly, "Speaking of homework, Junpei-san was asking Yukari-san to show him hers but she refused."

"Understandable," Akihiko laughed dryly before–

"Rrruff ruff!"

–twitching when Koromaru suddenly barked.

"What are you…" His voice trailed off and the boxer stopped in surprise. "Well, speak of the devil…"

"Huh?" Ken stopped as well before perking up. "Oh, it's Junpei-san." He smiled. "And Minato-san as well!"

"–abandoned us, you cruel bas–"

"Hey~," the brunet called out as he waved, "Junpei-san~! Minato-san~!"

"–tard…?"

The capped boy paused and blinked, looking up in surprise, before a grin appeared on his lips.

"Yo, Ken, Senpai," Junpei greeted as he raised a hand, "Taking Koro on a walk?"

"Yeah," Akihiko answered easily before raising a brow upon seeing the headlock, "What are you two doing?"

Quickly remembering his ire, Junpei scowled and tightened his grip, rubbing his knuckles against Minato's head. "This jerk totally abandoned us!"

Silver eyes rolled before the blue-haired boy twisted out of the other's chokehold and rubbed at his neck, grumbling, "It's not my fault you two idiots couldn't keep your mouths shut."

"I resent that!" Kenji protested, "Don't group me in with this guy!"

"I should be saying that to you!" Junpei huffed before jerking a thumb at and introducing their friend, "By the way, this is Kenji Tomochika. We're all in the same class."

"I see…" The boxer sized the other up before holding out a hand. "I'm Akihiko Sanada. Nice to meet you."

"Yes," Kenji all but squeaked, grimacing at the other's grip, "I know who you are."

A brow raised as Junpei tilted back his cap and wondered, "Why are you so stiff?" But before the other Magician could answer, he patted the youngest on the shoulder. "And this is lil' Ken. He's in elementary school but he's staying at the dorms for now."

Shrugging off the hand, the smaller brunet bowed. "I'm Ken Amada. Thank you for taking care of Junpei-san."

"Whoa…" Kenji was taken aback. "This kid's way more mature than Junpei!"

"I don't wanna hear that from you," grumped the capped boy before a bark made him turn to their doggy companion, "You want me to introduce you too, Koro?"

Another bark confirmed his sentiment before Kenji laughed, "No worries! I know who you are!" He bent down to pet the Shiba-Inu. "You're that famous dog, right? The one who used to live at this shrine?" Koromaru's tail was wagging gently. "Put 'er there!" He placed a paw on the outstretched and received an ear-scratching. "Good boy!"

"Ruff!"

"Anyway," Junpei added and petted the dog as well when his leg was headbutted, "We're keeping him at our dorm for now."

"Oh?" Kenji looked a bit amused. "There's plenty of variety there, huh?"

"Really?" Minato drawled almost, well, actually, wholly sarcastically, "I never realized…"

Before either Magician could reply to that, Ken asked, "Have either of you seen Aigis-san yet?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah." Junpei blinked nonplussed. "Yeah, we did, along with the other girls."

The youngest shifted nervously before blurting out, "So how was it?"

Minato raised a brow. "How…?"

Curiosity practically emanating from him, Ken clarified, "She's wearing a yukata, right?"

A sly smile appeared on his lips as Junpei snickered, "Hehe~ So you're into those things, eh~?"

"T-That's not it!" Ken sputtered, blushing deeply, "I-I just thought that since she's not…normal…maybe…"

He trailed off and Junpei sobered before waving it off. "It was fine. She looked like a normal girl."

"She wasn't normal," Kenji protested before chuckling, "She was high-level~!"

"Man, all the girls in our dorm are A-grade," the capped boy whooped before wincing in remembrance, "Though they're a bit spunky too…"

"Like I said," Minato deadpanned, "It's your fault."

Seeing Junpei (and Kenji) shudder, Ken wondered, "Did something happen?"

A rather depressing aura seemed to cling to the Magicians as the blue-haired boy answered, "Slip of the tongue."

"What, you got Yukari angry again?" Akihiko questioned with a raised brow before huffing with amusement, "You never learn, do you?"

"Yuka-tan's way too short-tempered," groaned the capped boy, "Couldn't she have, like, a calmer aura?"

"That's just not in her nature," Minato pointed out.

"True," Akihiko agreed to both, "She has guts."

He sighed. "It's such a waste that she's a woman though. I'd want to enlist her in the boxing club. She'd make a great member."

Face turning blue just from imagining it, Junpei shuddered and warned, "Just don't say that to her face. Otherwise, she'd probably say something like, 'Here's our chance for an All-Out Attack!'"

He shuddered yet again before mumbling, "And it wasn't just her. Even Mina-tan got angry…"

Surprise colored Akihiko's face. "Wait, really? Her?"

He paused and thought on that before asking suspiciously, "Did you take her food again?"

Minato snorted, unable to stop himself from smirking in amusement.

"I didn't do that this time!" Junpei protested, glaring at the blue-haired boy, before he huffed, "Hell, it wasn't even my fault! It was his!"

Stepping back to avoid the finger-jab, Kenji sputtered, "Me?! But I didn't say anything to make them angry!"

He received a look, further increasing his confusion.

"…I'm surprised by your inability to read the atmosphere," Junpei groaned after a moment and shivered, "Even Fuu-chi scared me…"

Brows raised all around.

"Fuuka-san too?" Ken was as baffled as he could be. "I can't even imagine her getting angry though…"

"Me neither!" Junpei exclaimed, "But it happened and, man, I never wanna see it again…"

"Even though you should be used to it," Minato drawled, "You pretty much get yelled at every day anyway…"

"Well, yeah, but, even if I do, it still hurts, y'know?" sighed the capped boy, "Geez, give a guy a break, won't ya…?"

"What, so you don't piss them off on purpose?" Akihiko asked, crossing his arms.

Junpei sputtered, "D-Does it really seem that way?"

The boxer shrugged. "Dunno, but it looks like you'd be happy being bitten too."

"…Darn!" Junpei snapped his fingers. "He's got me figured out!"

Kenji choked on his own shock and backed away. "Man, you've got some weird tastes!"

A face-palm.

"I was joking, Kenji," the capped boy sighed, "J-O-K-I-N-G! Joking! Y'know, haha, that sort of thing?"

They stared at him blankly and he groaned, "I swear, none of y'all got a sense of humor…!"

"…Well, anyway," Kenji spoke up after a moment, "I should be going now. Rio's probably waiting for me."

If she's still waiting for you, Minato thought but decided to keep quiet as the brunet continued, "So what are you two gonna do?"

Junpei looked over at his senior and junior and Akihiko answered, "We're just looking around before buying dinner."

"Then we'll go with you guys," decided the capped boy and Minato nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then," Kenji waved and began to jog off, shouting, "I'll see ya some other time then!"

"Say 'hi' to Riocchin for me!" Junpei waved back before murmuring, "I really wonder if she's waiting though," he sighed, "That guy seriously worries me sometimes."

"Wow…" Ken looked impressed. "Who know Junpei-san could worry?"

"Why you little–!"

The Young Still Has Much to Learn

Meanwhile…

"How wonderful," a certain female attendant cooed over her new find, "Take a look at this, Theo! Isn't it simply marvelous?"

Said male showed no sign of listening and simply gazed into the distance with eyes of a somber gold hue.

Confused, Elizabeth looked up at him. "Theo…?"

He released a rather forlorn breath and she frowned.

"Theodore," she called yet again and, once more, he didn't respond, only sighing for the umpteenth time that night.

Placing her hands on her hips, Elizabeth tapped her foot somewhat impatiently before a sly smile played on her lips and–

Tweet!

–Theodore jumped, blinking rapidly and stuttering, "T-This is–"

Tweet!

"What is it, Aneue?"

She took the object out of her mouth and waved it around.

"This is a tool to cheer people up," Elizabeth explained graciously, "A party horn. It is also called a fizoo. Interesting, yes?"

"Um… I wasn't asking what it was…" her brother replied, eyeing the toy in a vaguely distasteful manner, but was ignored as she happily went on, "Look, Theo. If you blow into it, then the length will–"

Tweet!

"Again..!?" Theodore almost whined.

"This will be a great challenge for our Master's nose!" The pale-haired woman grinned kittenishly (and perhaps mischievously as well). "This has been a great discovery thus far…!"

She blew into the noisemaker and he flinched away.

"I understand–" Tweet! "I understand, so please–" Tweet! "Could you tell me why you keep hitting me…?!"

Exasperation was clear in his voice.

Lowering her toy, Elizabeth blinked (not so) innocently. "Why? It is because you are right there."

Theodore nearly face-faulted but managed to compose himself in time. "Are you not simply aiming for me?"

Still maintaining her facade, she tilted her head and asked, "When our Master calls for you, does he not hit you in this way?"

He ducked under yet another tweet and exclaimed, "I have never been called in this manner!"

An eighth (or perhaps ninth) tweet sounded but was cut off when Theodore caught the end of it. "Also, I do not believe that our Master's nose is this long…"

Elizabeth eyed his fingers rather predatorily and he quickly dropped it before she finally lowered her toy. "Details aside… Theo, what were you thinking of this whole time?"

Gold eyes blinked and Theodore hesitated before speaking slowly, "About that ice cone stand…" He motioned to it. "Amongst the products, there is one called 'Blue Hawaii'."

"'Blue Hawaii'…?" she repeated before smiling, "My, such an inspirational name…! One that reminds you of the blueness of the sea~!"

"About that, Aneue…" he continued with furrowed brows, "If it was made reflecting on the image of the sea… How would it taste like…? I have been thinking of that."

…

Swoosh!

Theodore barely dodged her pointer finger as Elizabeth exclaimed, "What does your heart tell you, my dear Theo?!"

"M-My heart…?" he stammered and paused, cupping his chin in thought, "Um, well, hm… It is most likely…salt-flavored. I hear that the sea has plenty of minerals within it."

Elizabeth was silent for a moment before declaring,

"Five points."

Blinking, Theodore repeated in confusion, "…Five points?"

She nodded. "Five points…out of a hundred."

So stunned was he that he gawked in a rather unrefined manner before finally catching himself and clearing his throat, asking hesitantly, "Then, do you know the correct answer, Aneue…?"

Tweet!

Elizabeth blew into her fizoo a few times before mumbling, "…salt-flavored."

"Is that not what I said?!" he exclaimed but–

"Theo! Take a look at that!"

–his exasperation was cut short when–

"Oh, a mask of Jack Frost."

–he was dragged over to a stall.

"How wonderful…!" Theodore smiled with bright eyes.

"Welcome!" the owner greeted with a smile, "What would you two like tonight?"

"I wish to purchase a mask of Jack Frost," declared Elizabeth, pointing to said object and holding out her money.

"Alrighty then!" The manager laughed and took it off of the rack, exchanging the two. "Here you go, missy!"

"I would like the same thing as w–" Tweet! "Aneue! Is it not foul to aim for the eyes?!"

Ignoring his pout, Elizabeth wagged her finger at Theodore. "'You must respect your elders.' Any place, any time, you will remain younger than I."

"I-I am not a child," he protested and a sly smile appeared on her lips.

"If you claim to be an adult man," Elizabeth practically purred, "Then take a look at this!"

"…This mask…"

Theodore eyed it warily.

"How do I interpret this…? The eyes and the nose seem to pierce you… And this is…a mouth? Is it not too far apart?"

Chuckling softly, his sister waved it around. "A 'Hyottoko' is what it is called. It's a very convenient mask."

She placed it in his hands and Theodore frowned. "Um… I do not wish to purchase this…"

"Really?" Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "Even though you looked just like this?"

"Eh?!" Shock gave way to distress. "Is… Is this so…?" His shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "So… I was making this kind of face…? I… I see…"

Ignoring the dark cloud that hung over his head, Elizabeth picked out another mask and chirped, "And this one is for females! An 'Otafuku' or an 'Okame' as they can be called."

"And you are going to buy this?" Theodore asked, still melancholic.

"Why must I buy a mask that matches yours?" She sniffed even as mischief lit up her eyes. "Give this to our eldest sister."

"T-This?! To Margaret-aneue…?!" Theodore eyed it critically. "Would she even like it…?"

"If it's a gift from her cute little brother, she would be happy with whatever you gave her," Elizabeth practically sang.

"I-If you say so…" he mumbled, taking the object gingerly and paying for it.

"And when you give it to her, say: 'I thought it looked similar to you.'" She paused before adding, "In those exact words."

"Ah… Well…" Theodore struggled with the order. "But they do not resemble each other at all…!"

"She will be happier if you say that," Elizabeth responded immediately, "And when you give it to her, do it when I'm around," she hid a gleeful smirk, "I want to see her reaction."

"Y-Yes…" A chill descended his spine as he nodded meekly. "I understand…"

"Well, then!" She clapped her hands. "I will also look for a gift."

"Yes…"

Theodore bowed his head and sighed before–

"Are…? Theo-kun? Eli-chan?"

–perking up upon hearing a familiar voice.

"My!" Elizabeth's eyes lit up at the sight. "Surely this is a fateful encounter!"

Minako-sama…! A smile played on his lips as he stepped towards the surprised brunette and held her hand, bringing it up to his lips. "To think that we would meet here is–"

"Move aside, Theo," Elizabeth interrupted, pushing him out of the way and holding the girl's hand, "It is a pleasure to see you again, Minako-sama," gold sparkled mischievously, "Are you not with Minato-sama on this fine night?"

Although worried for Theodore's self-esteem, Minako smiled at the female attendant and shook her head. "Minato-kun slipped away a while back when Jun-chan and…" She trailed off and heat flashed in her eyes before she gently shook her head. "Anyway, I'm actually here with the girls."

"Oh?" Elizabeth raised a brow, having seen the flicker of anger, but asked instead, "Is this what they call a girl's night out?"

"Mm! That's right," The brunette nodded before perking up as an idea popped into mind. "Oh, speaking of which, do you want to join us, Eli-chan? It'll be fun! Theo-kun can come too since he's such a gentleman~!"

Said man suddenly appeared beside her, hand over chest and head bowed with his usual smile. "Such compliments are unnecessary–"

"–for a true gentleman does not leave a lady waiting," Elizabeth interrupted as she directed Minako away, "Especially not his elder sister after she asked a very important question."

Theodore floundered for a moment before stammering, "A-Aneue…!"

And Minako couldn't help but giggle. "You two always seem to get along!"

His lips quirked up into a smile before he sighed a bit exaggeratedly, "Alas, she is somewhat of a troublesome sister and–"

"Did you say something?" Elizabeth chirped even as her eyes bore coldly into him.

"…Putting all of that aside," Theodore coughed discreetly before smiling charmingly, "I don't see those clothes very often."

Red eyes brightened as the brunette twirled around, smiling brightly. "It's called a 'yukata'! Isn't it pretty~?"

The pale-haired male chuckled softly. "As pretty as the clothes may be, you are far more beautiful, Minako-sama."

"E-Eh?" A blush adorned her cheeks as Minako bashfully down at her feet. "T-Thank you…"

Theodore gave an award-winning smile. "Are you alone now?"

But before she could answer, a hand covered her eyes and an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against a firm chest, as a familiar voice deadpanned,

"No."

"M-Minato-kun?!" sputtered the brunette as she flailed for a moment before grabbing his hand and pulling it away to see again, "When did you arrive?!"

Silver eyes glanced down, taking in her flustered face, and narrowed just a tad when she shyly glanced over at the attendants.

"Just now," he answered with a shrug and shifted his weight, almost blanketing her smaller form, "Yukari said you were taking a while so I came to check up on you."

"I see…" Theodore said with a hint of disappointment, "Had you been alone, I would have submitted one of my requests."

"In other words," Elizabeth sighed exaggeratedly, "Theo wishes to take our dear guest on a date–"

"ANEUE!" he shouted before freezing upon realizing what he'd done.

"…Theo."

His sister smiled rather frigidly.

"Did you just raise your voice at me?"

He sweated and swallowed thickly, stammering, "A-Aneue, please, I–"

But he couldn't say anymore as she swiftly grabbed his ear and twisted it, making him yelp and bend awkwardly to match her height.

"Ah! Theo-kun!" Minako was about to interfere out of worry but squeaked instead when Minato had swiftly picked her up. "W-Wait, Minato-kun, what–!"

But her protest was cut short as Elizabeth chirped, "Well then, Minako-sama, Minato-sama, we shall await you two in the Velvet Room once more. Do come visit soon."

"Of course," replied the blue-haired boy with a curt nod, "Take care, Elizabeth, and we'll see you then."

They shared a jaunty salute before turning about and walking away even as–

"Please forgive me, Aneue, I–"

"Minato Arisato, put me down or else–"

"–was wrong to yell and–"

"–I swear I'm gonna burn your–"

"–never do so ever again–"

"–and steal your MP3, you hear–"

–their captives continued to squirm uncomfortably in their ironclad grip.

May their futures stay bright.

Just a Little Out of Hand...

"Oh!" Ken perked up upon seeing them. "Welcome…back…?"

He trailed off with a puzzled look and Minako flushed as she hid her face and moaned, "Please don't ask, Ken-kun…"

Junpei, however, simply bursted into laughter at the sight of her being carried like a bride before sidling up to them and nudging Minato's side, practically singing, "Looks like somebody got lucky~!"

Minato hid a smirk when the brunette swiftly smacked the cackling boy on the arm, making him whimper, before he turned to the others and drawled, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"What were you doing?" Akihiko asked with an amused tilt to his lips, "Dragging her away from the food court?"

Minako pouted at the jab to her gluttonous nature but the blue-haired boy simply frowned.

"If only," he spoke dryly, "Rather, I was battling off one of her more persistent fan–"

A pale hand slapped over his lips as Minako hissed, "Mi-na-to…!"

He gave her an innocent look before wilting when she blistered him with a glare.

"A-Anyway–!" The brunette turned to the others, slightly embarrassed by her display. "I just got distracted by a friend, that's all!"

The sour expression on Minato's face made them trade dubious glances.

"Honest!" Minako protested to their looks. "Theo-kun's a complete gentleman so he'd never hurt me!"

"…I don't know," Yukari piped up after a moment, "I mean, if Minato-kun went out of his way to get you out of there, then there might be something to it…"

A hurt look appeared and the archer backed away with raised hands. "Just saying, Leader. You can be pretty naive sometimes."

Her shoulders slumped and one could almost see drooping dog-ears on her head, causing several hearts to melt at just how cute she was, before–

"Rrruff!"

–Minako yelped as she was suddenly tackled and–

"K-Koro-chan! Haha~ That tickles!"

–attacked by a rough tongue.

Pressed against the stone floor, the blue-haired boy twitched, unsure of whether to groan from the pain running up his back, to glower at the lucky dog kissing his other half or to just enjoy the way Minako was sprawled over him in a yukata.

Bad, Minato! He mentally smacked himself. No dirty thoughts in public!

As if reading his thoughts, Junpei snickered and asked, "Say, what kind of fetish is needed to get a wife?"

Silver eyes glared at him, unamused, but that simply made his grin widen before he yelped when Yukari whacked him over the head.

"Don't worry," she retorted, "You wont ever get one."

"Harsh!" The capped boy pouted, clutching at his chest. "And you said that so casually too!"

"Aw~ Don't worry, Jun-chan," Minako cooed, bad mood gone as she hugged Koromaru to her chest, "If worse comes to worse, I'll help ya!"

"Bestie~!" Junpei would've glomped her but the cold stare from the blue-haired boy froze him in his tracks. "Ahaha, thanks for the support…"

A bark soon caught everyone's attention though and they turned to see the Shiba-Inu pawing at Minako's geta and whining.

"…It seems that he recognizes the scent," Aigis informed them before Yukari startled, "Hey! That's the part that was fixed by Senpai's handkerchief!"

The boys shared a confused glance as Fuuka crouched down and petted the dog's head, asking, "Koro-chan, do you know him?"

He barked again, tail wagging happily, and the mechanical maiden translated, "It would appear that he was often given food by that person."

"Eh?!" Fuuka covered her gasp. "Then Aragaki-senpai was looking for Koro-chan?!"

"'Aragaki'…?" Gray eyes widened. "Shinji came here?!"

"It was a coincidence," Mitsuru chuckled before the aqua-haired girl explained, "He fixed Minako-chan's geta."

Abruptly sitting up, Minato took a look at the mismatched footwear before startling when he saw bandages covering her toes. "How did this happen?"

"Huh? Uh, well…" Her voice trailed off as Minako blushed, finally realizing that she was sitting on his lap. "I-It doesn't matter!"

But that simply made him fuss over her even more as the others began laughing without abandon.

So cute! Yukari and Fuuka couldn't help but squeal a bit. He's totally mothering her!

That was until–

"W-Wait a mo– Where are you– Eek!"

SMACK!

–his hands wandered a little too much.

Otomen

"A-Anyway," Minako coughed, cheeks still flushed as she ignored the twitching blue-haired boy, "W-We were talking about Shinjiro-nii, right?"

"Uh… 'Shinjiro-nii'…?" Junpei repeated distractedly, eyeing Minato's newly acquired injuries with both sympathy and amusement, "You have a brother or something, Mina-tan?"

"Nah~," Yukari answered for her as she dusted off her hands, "Minako started calling Aragaki-senpai that after he helped us out."

"Isn't it a bit early to be calling him that?" Akihiko asked with a raised brow.

"Well~," Minako answered with a kittenish smile, "It was either that or Mama Bear~!"

They choked.

"M-Mama Bear?!" squeaked Fuuka, trying to equate the gruff man with that nickname, "W-Why…?!"

Red eyes sparkled. "Because it's true!"

And cue the face-faults.

"How?!" Junpei sputtered, "The guy's, like, the epitome of manliness!"

A beat of silence before–

"Well done, Iori."

–Mitsuru chuckled, "That is the correct way to use 'epitome'."

"That's what you choose to dwell on?!" he yelped.

A snort as Yukari rolled her eyes. "Considering your grades, who wouldn't focus on that?"

"Ah, shut it…" The capped boy sulked.

"W-Well…" Akihiko coughed to stop laughing. "Shinji's rough-looking but he's good at home ec." He rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "Cooking, sewing… All of those things comes pretty easily to him so I guess that kind of makes him motherly...?"

Their eyes bugged a bit before shoulders slumped.

"Oh…" Yukari wilted in disappointment. "I think I'm losing to him…"

"Mm…" Fuuka nodded meekly. "I can't cook that well…"

"I as well," Aigis intoned, raising a hand, "Perhaps we should learn together?"

"Nah~ You're fine, Aigis." Junpei waved her off before turning to the other two. "But you two should try harder!"

"Shut up, Stupei!" snapped the archer, "It's not as if you can do those things either!"

"Maa, that's fine," the capped boy chuckled, rubbing his chin, "Little ol' me's just gonna get a nice girlfriend to do it!"

"…I take it back," Minako deadpanned, "I'll make sure you stay single."

"So cruel!" Junpei gawked, stumbling back and clutching at his chest.

Yukari rolled her eyes again before huffing, "Not to mention he's Junpei. That makes it so much worse."

And so the final nail was hit in his coffin.

Koromaru cocked his head to the side and barked when the capped boy's soul left his body.

Depressed Magician aside…

"Still," mused Fuuka in a thoughtful manner, "A guy who's good at cooking sounds nice."

"True," Minako agreed, "Knowing home economics is always a plus…"

She trailed off as red eyes fell on the blue-haired boy in fetal position. "Y'know, Minato-kun's not bad at either."

He perked up and almost preened…

"But he still needs work on sewing."

…when he was abruptly shot down again.

And Junpei came back to life, snorting with laughter at the other's crestfallen expression. Burn~!

Minato glowered at him but the capped boy simply began rolling around in laughter when Ken piped up, "I can put buttons back on shirts."

Seeing an opportunity, the Magician straightened up and declared, "Look! Here's a perfect candidate!"

"I agree~," Minako played along, wrapping her arms around the brunet, "Ken-kun, my hero~!"

"A-Ah, M-Minako-san, I, um…!" He stuttered with a dark blush before freezing when silver eyes bore into him. Danger…!

Not noticing the tension, Yukari also hugged the boy and cheered, "As expected, Ken-kun's definitely the better choice!"

"He is very hopeful." Aigis nodded. "Perhaps Junpei-san should learn from him?"

The capped boy jerked at suddenly being called out.

"Ai-chan too?!" He mourned his dwindling ego. "Oh… I can't take being like this anymore…" He held an arm over his eyes and sobbed. "Somebody… Anybody… Give me your love…!"

"…You're having fun, aren't you, Junpei-san?" Ken asked after finally being relinquished from the brunettes' hold and thus from Minato's evil eye.

Peeking out, Junpei grinned. "You can tell?"

"Ew~! Gross!" Yukari squealed, hiding behind Minako, "Stay away from us, Stupei!"

"Junpei-kun's a masochist…?" Fuuka murmured warily, also shifting behind their leader.

"Wha–NO!" The Magician sputtered, shaking his head rapidly. "You've got it all wrong!"

"It's okay, Jun-chan~!" Minako sang mischievously, "You don't have to hide it~!"

"I'm not! I mean, that's not– NO!" denied the capped boy, crossing his arms defensively, "You're wrong! Wrong, I say!"

"I guess we really do learn new things every day," Akihiko hummed before Mitsuru asked, "Shall I make an appointment for you, Iori?"

"SENPAI!" Junpei whined, almost crying, "Come on, give a guy a break…!"

They traded glances before shaking their heads with a soft chuckle–

"Alright then…"

–and the Magician was about to relax when–

"Gross."

"Damn it, Minato!"

Bestie to the Rescue!

As the other juniors continued ragging on Junpei, Akihiko sighed and leaned against a pillar, folding his arms in front of him.

"Hey, Mitsuru," he spoke softly, "When did Shinji leave?"

"…It's been a while," she answered, glancing over at him, "He said he was going home so I assume he's no longer in the area."

"I see…"

Sensing the boxer's disappointment, the redhead paused and thought before adding, "He may think differently now. Will you ask him again?"

For a moment, Akihiko remained silent before he grunted,

"Maybe."

His grip tightened. "Ken might notice something's off but…" Gray eyes closed briefly. "I'll still try talking to him."

Mitsuru hummed softly in acknowledgement before smiling. "In any case, I have a message from him."

He almost jumped with anticipation but held back and cleared his throat. "W-What is it?"

Her grin widened. "Eat your vegetables."

"…Huh?!"

Akihiko was flabbergasted, gaping at the almost smirking redhead.

"That is all." She shrugged gracefully.

There was a moment of silence before Akihiko laughed aloud. "Haha! Sounds just like him!"

"Sanada-san!"

He looked up to see Ken waving at him and straightened as the younger group walked over to them. "What's up?"

"If you're gonna buy dinner," Yukari answered, "Why not eat together?"

"It'll be fun!" Minako chirped, clasping her hands behind her back, "Like a party outdoors!"

"Mm! We don't always eat together like this so it's a nice change of pace," Fuuka agreed before giggling when she saw Minato poke the still-depressed Magician with a stick.

"I see…" Akihiko gazed at each of the girls' hopeful faces before smiling and nodding. "Why not?"

"Yatta!" Ken cheered before coughing and clearing his throat. "Oh, um, should we split the work then?"

That roused the capped boy who grinned brightly (and perhaps a tad bit maliciously too given how he'd placed Minato in yet another chokehold).

"In that case," he declared, bumping a fist against his chest, "We'll get the food," his eyes landed on their yukata, "You girls can't move very well in that, right?"

"So Junpei does have good sides to him," teased Yukari, utterly ignoring the blue-haired boy in his grasp unlike her fellow brunette.

Red eyes gazed at Minato's twitching form in clear worry and a hint of guilt. It was just an accident, wasn't it…?

The blue-haired boy looked so pitiful in the capped boy's headlock that Minako wavered restlessly before shaking her head and catching Junpei's eyes.

He raised a brow before relenting to her silent plea, snickering a bit. They so have it bad for each other.

"So, anyway," Junpei spoke up, directing everyone's attention away from Minako as she tended to her other half, "What do you all want?"

As the others began musing aloud their orders, the red-eyed girl crouched beside Minato and pressed a hand against his flushed face.

"…Sorry," she murmured sadly, "I think we kind of went overboard…"

He didn't respond, simply rubbing at his neck, and she wilted, unsure of what else to say, when his calloused hand grabbed hers.

"Don't worry about it so much," he mumbled, pressing his lips against her palm, "I did screw up, after all…"

Her cheeks flushed and she hid her face in her knees, glancing at him through her lashes.

"Then, um, we're cool?" she asked meekly.

Her heart skipped a beat when he quirked a grin at her.

"Alrighty then!"

They jumped away, hands quickly hidden behind their backs, as Akihiko called for their attention.

"Yukari and Fuuka both want takoyaki, Mitsuru wants yakisoba, Ken and I are getting okonomiyaki," he said, completely missing their little moment, "What do you two want?"

Minako floundered for an answer before squeaking when Minato suddenly ruffled her hair and answered, "We'll get one of everything each."

"Should've figured," Junpei snickered, being the only one to catch what had happened, and the brunette pouted before he pumped a fist, cheering, "Yosh~! We've got your orders now so we'll be going."

The blue-haired boy sighed a bit and untangled his fingers from her hair as Minako waved them off cheerfully. "We'll be counting on y'all~!"

"Be back in five!" Yukari called after.

A choke. "You're asking too much!"

.

.

.

"…Say, Junpei," Akihiko spoke up, glancing over at him, "Are you weak to Yukari or something? It feels like she has you rolling in the palm of her hands."

"Huh? Uh… I wouldn't say I'm weak to her," the capped boy responded after thinking for a moment, "I mean, when guys and girls get along, girls can relax, y'know? That's what I'm doing for her."

"Oh?" The boxer raised a brow. "You sure you aren't just giving in?"

"He's a doormat," yawned Minato.

"Am not!" Junpei attempted to choke the other again but the blue-haired boy swiftly dodged him with a smirk.

Bastard, grumped the capped boy before he sighed, And I was the one who helped him with Mina-tan…!

"Junpei-san's always getting teased, na?" Ken laughed softly.

"Feel a little sorry for me, won't ya?!" whined the capped boy, slumping over.

"I suppose," the brunet relented before grinning a bit, "But you make it so easy!"

"Gah!" Junpei stumbled and whimpered. "Even Ken's picking on me now…"

"Stupei Count," Minato deadpanned, "Over 9000…"

"WHAT?!"

Food For Thought

"Ah~…" Yukari sighed, practically melting against the bench, "My feet are dead…"

"Same here…" Fuuka grimaced and rubbed at her ankles. "I feel like taking off my geta…"

A bark before Aigis intoned, "Koromaru-san says, 'It is more comfortable going barefoot.'"

"Maybe we should follow his example?" Minako asked jokingly.

"No," the archer denied, karate chopping her fellow brunette, "It's rude so don't even think about it."

The Wild Card pouted, rubbing at her head.

"Regardless," Mitsuru spoke up as she smoothed out her yukata, "It's great that the boys went shopping for us."

"That's true," Yukari agreed, perking up with a smile, "Junpei really does care about us, huh?"

"That was gentlemanly of him," the redhead allowed with a nod.

It was then that the archer's smile faltered as she looked down and mused, "Today… The boys are paying for us… Fuuka got a freebie… We're really being treated like girls…"

"That was great, ne?" Fuuka chirped, kicking her feet a bit.

"Yeah… It made me happy but…" A certain melancholy befell Yukari. "That's the problem…"

Minako traded confused looks with the aqua-haired girl before asking, "Why?"

For a moment, the archer said nothing, nibbling on her lower lip, before she answered, "I never really liked it. Our special treatment, that is." She sighed. "But, as soon as something good happens, I can't help but feel happy about it." Distress was evident in her voice. "I let my status as a woman become a weapon and then I spoil myself so I'm kinda…you know."

"Yukari-chan…" Fuuka mumbled worriedly, seeing the frustration in the other's eyes.

As if just realizing what she'd said, she gasped and shook her head, laughing awkwardly, "A-Ah~ That didn't happen. Nope! No way. So just forget about it–"

"You're not the only one, Yukari-chan," interjected the aqua-haired girl solemnly, "I think like that too…"

"H-Huh?" The archer startled. "You too?"

Fuuka nodded. "Technology interests me, so I'm often called strange since I'm a girl. It's why I stayed at home so often… But, when I go to tech-shops, I often get these discounts!" She perked up a bit before deflating again. "It's probably because it's unusual to see a girl there…"

Aigis tilted her head in confusion. "Is it not because you are a 'cute girl'?"

"T-That's–! U-Um…" The aqua-haired girl bit her lower lip. "Well, I'm happy that I can use being a girl as a weapon but… At times, I expect to get a discount so I feel kind of guilty…"

"…Isn't it fine thinking like it?" Mitsuru spoke up, crossing her arms, "Using everything to your advantage… It is a logical path to take so there's no reason to feel ashamed."

"I guess so…" Yukari shifted uncomfortably, pursing her lips.

"…To be honest," the redhead murmured, looking away, "I'm envious of you two. Depending on your situation, you can use your sex as an advantage but I…"

"Senpai…?" Minako sensed that there was more to be said but Mitsuru simply shook her head. "No… Forget what I said. I'm no longer sure of what I meant…"

"…I guess that makes two of us," Yukari laughed a bit sardonically before sighing, "Well, in this case, I guess this conversation never happened, ne?"

A heavy silence descended over them.

Red eyes dropped to pale hands, one folded atop the other, and narrowed in thought before the Wild Card spoke up, "Y'know… I think each has things special to their own gender."

Blinking, they turned their attention to her.

"I mean, there are hardships that only guys can face, right?" Minako explained, eyes softening as she remembered the night before, "But girls have their own difficulties too!"

"Girls have their own…" Brows furrowed before clearing when the archer perked up. "Like, talking about guys?"

Fuuka blushed and clasped her hands over her chest, admitting, "I couldn't help but feel all jittery when we were talking about Iwasaki-san's crush."

"That was the perfect example of a girl's talk," Yukari sighed with a smile, "And wearing yukata's surprisingly fun too! Not to mention bearing with the geta…

"And then there's the freebie," Minako chirped with a wink, "Plus, getting scolded for being in a dark place~!"

"Of course," Mitsuru chuckled, "The boys were kind enough to buy for us as well."

They shared a laugh.

"See, see~?" Minako grinned as she leaned back on her palms. "Don't things like these make it worth being a girl?"

The archer began nodding slowly and the Wild Card's grin widened as she gazed up at the dark sky.

"Rather than merits or disadvantages," Minako continued, "I think we should just appreciate the differences between us."

"Yeah…" Yukari clenched her hands and abruptly straightened up with bright eyes. "Yeah, you're right!" She smiled widely. "There's no need to think about it so hard when we can just enjoy what we have!"

"Right~?" Her fellow brunette giggled. "Coming here with everyone was fun. So it's fine like this, ne?"

Koromaru barked, panting happily, in obvious agreement.

"Mm! It was fun, wasn't it?" Fuuka clapped her hands together with a smile. "Playing games, winning prizes, meeting friends unexpectedly…"

"Yes…" Mitsuru agreed, "I too am glad that I came."

"This experience is quite rewarding," Aigis inputted before continuing rather unnecessarily, "However, I still believe I should have carried Minako-san since she only weighs–"

"Sorry for the wait!" Junpei called out, unknowingly cutting off the mechanical maiden, "So who's ready to chow down?"

"I am~!" Minako cheered loudly, jumping to her feet, as the Shiba-Inu mimicked her with a bark, tail wagging happily. "And welcome back!"

"We're back," Akihiko chuckled at her enthusiasm before Yukari nearly choked at the sight, sputtering, "W-Wait a moment! Minako, Minato-kun, you're not seriously gonna eat all of that, are you?!"

The blue-haired boy had wheeled in a plethora of yakitori, takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, taiyaki, grilled squids, salty sea breams, butter scallops, corncobs, baked sweet potatoes, crepes, dango, choco-bananas, candy apples along with other snacks and confectionaries.

"That's way too much!" The archer waved her arms at it. "And where'd you even get a cart?!"

"Aw~ Don't sweat the little things, Yuka-chan~," Minako chirped, linking arms with her fellow brunette, "And we're totally planning to share with everyone. Right, Minato-kun?"

He nodded, chewing on a yakitori while handing his other half a taiyaki.

"Liar!" Yukari called them out, twisting out of the girl's grip. "I've seen you both hoard food before!"

"We're not lying!" Minako protested with a pout. "See? Here!"

She attempted to feed the archer but the latter quickly hid behind Mitsuru, crying, "You're trying to fatten me up, aren't you?!"

"Of course not~," she sang, stalking her, "Now come on~ You know you want it~!"

"Begone foul demon!"

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And so the night ended amidst warm laughter and chattering friends.

Reading it over, I think I was a bit too mean to Junpei and Minato... What do y'all think?