Finally! I can write again! Sorry for the long delay, but there were a ton of complications and had to order a new laptop. I'm trying to write this out as soon as I can without having to compromise quality. I actually have a good chunk of the next few chapters already planned out. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
May 28, 2009, Thursday, After School
Seth was on his way back to the dorm after a long day of classes with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Today was so exhausting for some reason." Seth sighed to himself. "I'd rather just head to the dorm and relax for a bit."
As he came to a bridge, he noticed a woman in her early twenties by the railing, tying something to a rope. She had short, white hair, dark green eyes and wore a brown blazer and black pants. The moment he saw that she was tying the rope to a brick and her leg, alarms set off in his head.
"What are you doing?!" Seth shouted.
The woman looked up at Seth. "Just leave me alone! I don't want to live anymore!"
"Clearly the brick tied to your leg gave that away." Seth said. "But seriously, don't jump!"
"You have no idea what I'm going through! And don't assume that you do!"
"You're right. I don't know who you are, what's happening in your life or what's going on in your head. But before you jump, let me ask you a question: Do you have a family?"
"Y… Yes, my parents."
"So they love you?"
"I thought you were only going to ask ONE question!"
"Just answer it."
"… They love me very much…"
"Wouldn't it kill them if you took your own life? Whatever misery you're feeling now will go to them if you jump. Do you really want to put them through that kind of sadness?"
She looked down. "… No…"
"Take a deep breath and reevaluate your situation. That's the best advice I can give you right now."
The woman was hesitant at first, but eventually did as Seth said and took a deep breath.
"… Alright…" She said. "I'll take some time to think about my life. Thank you."
"My name is Seth. Seth Carter. And yours?"
"Tsubaki Sasagami (Age 27). It was nice meeting you."
Tsubaki walked away, which now made Seth notice that a crowd of people had surrounded him and Tsubaki during their talk.
"… Move along, people!" Seth said. "Nothing to see here!"
After the people dispersed, Seth continued back to the dorm, groaning at the people's desire to see what was happening purely for the sport of spicing up their water cooler conversations.
May 28, 2009, Thursday, Evening
As soon as Seth got back to the dorm, he spent an hour or two relaxing before going to his studies. Once he was done with that, he stretched out of his work desk and took a shower. As soon as he got out with a towel wrapped over the back of his neck, his phone went off, prompting him to walk over and answer it.
"Hello?" Seth asked.
"Mr. Carter? This is Theo. I have a personal request for you. There's a particularly dangerous Shadow roaming about Tartarus. You don't have to take care of it right now, but it would help me sleep better at night if you did."
"I can take care of it tonight, if you want."
"You don't need to do it tonight if you don't want to."
"Nonsense. It'll help my friends and I get stronger, so it's a win for both of us."
"Thank you very much! I really appreciate it!"
May 28, 2009, Thursday, Dark Hour
The five members of Heiwa were walking through the corridors of Tartarus, weapons in arms and on constant alert.
"Seth, do you even know what this Shadow looks like?" Daichi asked.
"Does it really matter?" Nobuo responded. "When there's a Shadow about, we're the only ones who can stop it."
"… Your personality swings are pretty sporadic, ya know?" Daichi retorted.
"Who even told you about this Shadow?" Homura asked.
"Uhh…" Seth had to think of something quick without revealing anything about the Velvet Room otherwise his friends would think he was crazy. "Minato told me about it. SEES is still recovering from their previous excursion here, so they asked if we could do it."
"Sounds like you're hiding something." Emi said. "Spill it before I cut your manhood off!"
*I hope that Shadow conveniently shows up!* Seth thought in a panic.
Seth waited for something big and loud to interrupt the interrogation, but nothing came.
*Any minute now…*
… Still nothing.
*… Please come…*
… Still nothing.
*… Well, it's up to Luke to continue the Carter line.*
GRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!
"What was that?!" Homura exclaimed.
*THAAAAAANK YOOOOOOOU!* Seth cried in his head.
The five ran in the direction of the howl and saw a large ogre with sickly blue skin carrying a massive broadsword come out to the intersection in front of them, readying its large blade to strike.
"Out of the way!" Seth shouted as he pushed Homura to the ground to get her out of the sword's path.
Everyone else jumped out of the way in time as the broadsword left a deep, linear crater in the floor.
"Whew, that was close." Seth said. "You alright, Homura?"
"Seth, where are you touching?" Homura asked.
Seth wasn't aware of it due to the panicked situation, but once he could feel his sense of touch return, he noticed he had his hands around something that felt like cloth and it was soft and round.
"… Oh, crap!" Seth panicked and shot up, releasing his hands from Homura. "I'm sorry! I'm not a pervert! … Okay, maybe I am, but I wouldn't just grope a woman without their consent!"
"Seth, before you continue your argument… and me being jealous of you… Can we take down this huge Shadow?!" Daichi asked.
"Right!" Seth and Homura exclaimed at once, regaining their composure, grabbing their weapons and ready to face the Shadow.
Seth aimed his Evoker at his head. "Yomotsu-Shikome!"
Behind Seth appeared the Persona Yomotsu-Shikome, of the Hermit Arcana with his bond from Theodore. Its hairs stretched out and cast the Tarunda spell to lower the Shadow's attack power. Seth called back Yomotsu-Shikome and readied his Evoker again.
"Jason!"
Seth summoned Jason and he swung his spear at the Shadow. The Shadow brought his broadsword forward and the two giants clashed. At that moment, Seth dashed in toward the Shadow and started slashing at his legs with his double-sided sword. The others followed his lead with Homura punching at the Shadow's ankles, Emi was hurling upward the blade of her scythe into its back and Nobuo was shooting his revolver at its kneecaps. They kept up their attacks until the Shadow started to falter in its stance. That signaled Daichi to charge in with his shield, bash it into one of the Shadow's legs and make it fumble back. As the Shadow was losing its balance, Jason thrust his spear into the Shadow's head, causing it to disintegrate into nothingness and Jason disappeared.
"Phew…" Seth sighed with relief. "That was a rush! Anyone want to keep going?"
"Are you on an adrenaline high or something?" Daichi questioned.
"I know I am!" Nobuo said. "Let's keep going!"
"Man, does anything faze you?" Daichi rhetorically asked.
"If you're that tired, Daichi, then we'll take a five minute break." Seth said. "Now to check the…" He was about to pull his phone out. "… Oh right, my phone doesn't work in the Dark Hour."
"I think I'll wait until your lecture is over." Daichi said.
"What lecture?" Seth asked.
"The one about touching my breasts!"
Seth hesitantly turned around to see Homura with an upset face and her hands on her hips.
"I'm willing to overlook it this time since it was an accident, but if you grope me again you're getting a punch straight to the groin." Homura said.
"I bet you liked it when he grabbed your boobs, didn't you?" Emi grumbled.
Homura's expression didn't change, but there was a bit of a blush on her face.
"I also bet that you're using that threat as an excuse to touch his-" Emi continued.
"Emi, please stop talking." Homura interrupted as calmly as she could, but there was a slight hint of aggravation from her comment.
May 28, 2009, Thursday, Late Night
After exploring Tartarus more, Heiwa returned to their dorm to get some sleep. As Seth was taking a shower due to all the sweat he produced from the fighting, he thought back to his brief visit to the Velvet Room after their excursion.
(Flashback)
"Thank you very much for dealing with that terrifying Shadow." Theodore said. "And an impressive victory it was. You and your team fought with such synergy, it was remarkable. There must be a great deal of trust between you all. I can certainly say that you have my trust, after all you've done for me."
(End Flashback)
*And his satisfaction is what made it all worthwhile.* Seth thought as he continued showering.
May 29, 2009, Friday, After School
Seth was walking through Gekkoukan High's courtyard, taking in the pleasant air around him.
*The temperature out here is perfect today.* He thought. *Not too hot and not too cold.*
However, the sound of laughing girls broke his reverie. He looked over to see a dark-skinned brunette talking to another girl with greenish-brown hair in pigtails.
"So, I pretended to take a picture with my cell phone." The dark-skinned brunette said to her friend.
"And?" Her friend asked.
"She freaked out and started crying!" She continued almost laughing. "Like it was the end of the world! You should've seen the look on her face! It was priceless!"
"Oh my gawd!"
"I've never laughed so hard in all my life!"
Hearing those girls laugh at someone else's expense made Seth clench his fists in anger. He then quickly stomped off into the main building.
In the student council room, Mitsuru was looking over some papers when someone barged in through the doors. She looked up to see that it was Seth who had so rudely entered.
"Carter, what are you doing here?" Mitsuru asked.
"I'd rather you not call me that." Seth said. "It makes me seem like a bad guy. Anyway, I've heard about some recent acts of bullying around the school and I wanted to put a stop to it the best way I can. I want to join the student council."
"I have no objections if you wish to join, but I am curious." Mitsuru put down the papers and rest her chin on her crossed hands, propping them up with her elbows on the table. "Is this a personal issue?"
"Well, somewhat…" Seth answered. "No one here I personally know has been bullied, but I just can't stand it. My little brother would get bullied a lot and I had to be there to protect him. I've always hated bullies because of that. Picking on other people just to get a few laughs. I heard that most comedy in some way or another is based on misery, but this is just cruelty. It's not funny to make a person feel bad just for being who they are." He took a deep breath. "I don't care what position I get here, as long as I can make a difference that's all that matters."
"I see you are quite motivated to limiting bullying on campus. That's a valuable trait in a member of the student council."
"Actually, while we're on the subject, why did you join the student council?"
"It's nothing personal like your reason. The Kirijo Group funds this school and as the next in line, I have a responsibility to live up to our name. It can be a little strenuous at times, but I enjoy being student council president."
"So nothing tragic, eh?"
Mitsuru lightly chuckled. "I'm afraid you will have to find someone else for a story like that."
"So, what will be my first duty on the student council be?"
"Cleaning the student council room. Everybody else left for the day."
"… You're kidding, right?"
May 30, 2009, Saturday, After School
Since he would be off from school the next day, Seth went to Game Panic and played a few games with Kaito. After a few hours when their hands started to feel cramped, they were standing at the entrance to the arcade.
"Damn carpal tunnel…" Kaito muttered out loud. "Shouldn't experienced fighting game players have some sort of immunity to this after so much joystick clicking?"
"It doesn't help that my right hand is still sore after all the notes I took in class today." Seth said.
"That explains why you were off your game." Kaito said.
"Ha!" Seth sarcastically laughed. "You sure are good. Do you practice a lot against your friends?"
"I don't have any friends."
"Oh…"
"Uh, okay, you're my friend, but there's not really anyone else. I just spend a lot of time practicing in training modes and fight online on the home versions. The lag can be awful, but it's the only means I have fighting against other people. But now that I have you, I don't have to rely on the Internet to find people to practice against."
"It's good for me, too. Both of us get experience and knowledge from our fights."
"Heh, to be honest, this is probably the most fun I've had in a while. Anyway, I've got some homework I want to wrap up so I can spend tomorrow relaxing."
"Yeah, me, too."
"Want to hit Chagall for some coffee before we go?"
"Sure."
As Seth and Kaito started walking to Chagall Café, Seth could have sworn that he saw someone turn their head as he looked in their direction. For some reason, he felt like someone was watching them just like last time. However, he decided to ignore it and continue to Chagall Café.
May 31, 2009, Sunday, Daytime
Seth went downstairs to make himself some lunch when he was greeted by Emi in the first floor lounge.
"Emi, you're the only one here?" Seth asked.
"The others went to do their own things." Emi stated. "They'll be gone for a while."
"Well, are you hungry? I could make you something to eat, too."
"I'm in the mood for… sausage." The way Emi said 'sausage' was rather strange.
"… Unusual choice for lunch, but not going to complain."
*Damn!* Emi thought before speaking again. "You know, it's getting awfully hot. Are you sure you don't want to strip down?"
"I feel fine. Did Homura tell you something? I only walk around naked in my room."
"Well, if you get hot cooking, don't be shy about taking your shirt off."
"… Ooookaaaaay…" Seth felt somewhat uncomfortable and went into the kitchen to begin cooking.
"… You know what? Just make whatever you want."
Seth decided to make a traditional bento in the dorm's kitchen while Emi spied on him from behind the door.
*Hopefully this will work…* She thought.
He continued to watch the rice and vegetables cook, making sure that nothing could go wrong.
"Emi's really going to like this." He said to himself.
"Seth."
"Hey, Emi, l-"
Seth stopped his mouth when he saw Emi walk in. However, Emi was only in her bra and panties upon walking into the kitchen. The black color of her undergarments and hair provided an attractive contrast to her pale, soft-looking skin. He couldn't help but find himself looking over every inch of her he could see. She was pretty skinny, not very shapely, but there were no signs of fat and it was pleasing to the eyes. Her breasts were nowhere near as big as Homura's or Mitsuru's, but they were a pretty good size.
"I was getting hot, so I decided to take my clothes off." Emi said in a seductive tone. "Don't want my clothes getting sweaty, do we?"
"Uhhhh…" Seth blankly stared.
"But I bet you'd rather have me walk around like this anyway. Good thing the others aren't here to see this. Homura would be furious, Daichi would be jealous and having a waterfall in his nose and Nobuo… I don't know."
Seth continued staring at the half-naked Emi until he smacked himself and shook his head.
"Sorry, Emi, but I have to keep an eye on the food or else it'll burn." Seth said. "You don't want a burnt lunch, do you?"
"Hmm, I guess not… You may have slithered your way out this time, but one day you won't resist the temptation."
"Well, we'll see about that."
Emi left the kitchen, turned to her clothes that she left next to the kitchen door in the lounge and started putting them back on.
*Almost had him…* She thought. *He was ogling me like I was eye candy. Next time, I'll get him in his room. And I think I have just the thing…*
Back in the kitchen, Seth was checking up on the food as thoughts were flowing through his head.
*Why did I have to stare?! I'm not a pig! How come when I see a woman showing her skin, I have to look at it?! I'm setting a bad example for Luke! Thank God there was no one else here or I'd be getting the lecturing and thrashing of a lifetime. I just need to get the thoughts out of my head and replace them with something else… Crap! Why did it have to be Homura in purple lingerie?!*
A/N: I'm ending the chapter about 100 words early, but it feels like a good place to stop. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Here is the updated status on Seth's Social Links:
Heiwa (Fool) – Rank 3
Junpei (Magician) – Rank 3
Mitsuru (Empress) - Rank 2
Akihiko (Emperor) – Rank 1
Homura (Lovers) – Rank 3
Theodore (Hermit) – Rank 2
Nobuo (Fortune) – Rank 2
Daichi (Strength) – Rank 2
Makoto (Death) - Rank 1
Hardcore Gamer (Temperance) - Rank 2
Emi (Devil) – Rank 1
Troubled Woman (Tower) – Rank 1
Stay tuned for next time!