Here's the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy!
July 8, 2009, Wednesday, Evening
With finals coming up next week, all five members of Heiwa were all sitting around in their dorm's lounge with a bunch of different books opened.
"So, how exactly is this going to help our studying?" Seth questioned. "Ya know, considering we don't all take the same classes?"
"Some of us know certain subjects better than others." Homura replied. "If one of us has trouble with a particular topic or question, then someone else can help them out if we know it."
"But what if no one knows about it?" Emi asked. "Are we screwed?"
"I wouldn't necessarily say tha-" Homura said.
"Just say 'yes' or 'no'." Daichi interrupted.
"Yes…" Homura lowered her head.
Beep-beep, beep-beep! Beep-beep, beep-beep!
Seth pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and answered the call.
"Hello?" Seth asked.
"Mr. Carter, how are things in Tatsumi Port Island?"
"Director Matsuzawa, hello! Everything is going fairly well." Seth answered. "No signs of the Hands of Anarchy as of yet, but it's still possible they may be lying in wait. Hold on, let me put you on speaker."
With a press of a button, everyone in the room could now hear Matsuzawa over the phone.
"Glad to hear that, and you're remaining vigilant. It was a wise decision to issue the five of you here, soon to be the seven of you."
"You're sending us new members?!" Homura asked in joy.
"Any hot chicks?" Daichi asked in perversion.
"Though they're both going to the junior high school as third years, I've already made arrangements to have them reside in your dorm."
"Damn…" Daichi murmured to himself.
"The first is my daughter, Kasumi."
"Director, I didn't know you had a daughter." Nobuo said.
"I wanted her to pass her training before I introduced her to the rest of Heiwa. She is by far the best of our new recruits."
"Why thank you for the early Christmas gift." Seth said.
"Mr. Carter, you especially will be happy to hear about the other recruit I'm sending your way."
"Y… You don't mean-!" Seth grinned widely. "No freaking way! Luke?!"
"Yes, Mr. Carter. Despite your younger brother's timidity, he has shown excellent prowess in tactical knowledge and great potential in the use of his Persona abilities. When selecting who to send him to, it would have been psychologically best if he was with a group he had some familiarity with."
"When can we expect them?" Homura inquired.
"They will be there by train tomorrow night. With the semester almost over, they won't be taking their exams and officially begin after the summer. Speaking of exams, best of luck to you."
"Thanks, Director!" All of them said in unison.
"Before I go… Daichi?"
"Yes, Director?" Daichi responded.
"If you do anything… untoward to my daughter… Well, unemployment will be the least of your problems."
As Matsuzawa ended the call, Daichi just sat where he was completely wide-eyed in fear while everyone else just ignored him.
"I can't wait to meet your brother, Seth!" Homura said.
"Is he into comic books?" Nobuo asked.
"Maybe he's better-endowed than his older brother…" Emi muttered to herself.
"I'm really excited for Luke, but I'm also interested in the Director's daughter." Seth said. "She must be a badass if she's only two years younger than us."
Daichi didn't hear a single word they had said as his mind was going through all of the painful consequences that might have been hinted.
July 9, 2009, Thursday, Evening
At the Iwatodai train station, Seth was waiting for Luke and Kasumi to arrive, impatient to see his little brother again after leaving a few months ago.
*I hope those two get along.* He thought. *Hell, maybe she'll be Luke's future girlfriend. You never know.*
After a few more minutes, a train finally came to a stop where Seth was and the doors opened to a flood of people exiting it.
"Luke! Kasumi!" Seth called out to them.
After about a minute, the crowd coming out died down and eventually Luke walked out with a girl that was just as tall as Seth, with fiery red hair tied into a ponytail and clothed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt that accentuated her pretty developed assets for someone of her age. Luke was carrying a backpack and pulling a suitcase while the girl had a duffle bag slung over her right shoulder and a suitcase in her left hand.
"Luke!" Seth ran up to his brother and locked him in a bear hug so tight it almost suffocated him, the older brother sobbing happily. "I've been worried sick since the moment I left! I didn't know how you'd talk to people without me!"
"Seth? Seth!" Luke strained to speak. "You-I can't m-move!"
Seth released his grip on his brother. "Did you get along with Director Matsuzawa's daughter?"
"Yes, and no." The girl sighed. "I tried talking to him, but he wouldn't speak up. I figured he thought I was pretty and got shy."
"Luke's shy around everyone." Seth stood up and turned to the girl. "And you must be Kasumi Matsuzawa (Age 14). I'm Luke's older brother, Seth."
Seth and Kasumi shook hands.
"I can see the resemblance." Kasumi smiled. "You're both pretty cute."
"Finally someone aside from our mother has said that!" Seth said.
Luke leered at the ground for a second and returned his gaze back to Seth.
"C-can we head t-to the dorm, please?" Luke asked.
"It IS a school night and I've got to introduce you two, soooo…" Seth replied.
The two newcomers followed Seth back to his dorm just as the sun was about to touch the horizon.
"This is the dorm?" Kasumi asked.
"After a week or so, it starts to feel homey." Seth stated. "Luke, you haven't said a word since we left the station."
Luke simply avoided eye contact with Seth.
"Why's he such a shut-in?" Kasumi questioned.
"Really long story, tell ya later 'cause we've got the rest of the dorm for you to meet." Seth said as he opened the front doors and all three entered the dorm. "I'm baaack!"
The first one to come down the stairs from the second floor was Homura and she quickly walked toward them.
"Hi, Seth!" Homura said before looking at Luke. "And you must be Luke."
Luke looked away from Homura and blushed. "Y… yes…"
"Aawww, you're shy." Homura practically sang and then turned to Kasumi. "And you're Ms. Matsuzawa?"
"Just call me Kasumi." She replied. "I don't want special treatment because of my dad. Care to introduce yourself?"
"I'm Homura Ryukawa. It's a pleasure to meet both of you. I wish your father could have told us more about you, but Seth never stopped talking about Luke."
"Yeah, Dad doesn't really pay attention to my life outside of Heiwa work." Kasumi nervously scratched her head.
Before Seth or Homura could question further about Kasumi's thoughts on her father, Daichi and Nobuo came walking down the steps.
"Hoy, are the recruits here?" Nobuo asked.
Daichi stopped upon seeing Kasumi. "… Dammit, why'd she have to be hot?!"
"The one talking funny is Nobuo Ueda and the perv is Daichi Mizushima." Seth introduced his friends.
"What's wrong with the way I talk?" Nobuo asked.
"I'm not gonna question 'perv', but of all the rotten luck…" Daichi sighed in disappointment.
"So that just leaves…" Seth mumbled.
"Seeeth…" Luke said as if something scary was approaching him.
Seth looked to Luke to see Emi examining the younger brother while behind him.
"Is… is there someone behind me?" Luke asked in fear.
"Hhmmmm…" Emi continued looking over Luke.
"That would be Emi." Seth chuckled in exasperation. "She's… uh… a bit dark."
After several seconds had passed, Emi stepped back from Luke.
"He lacks Seth's physique and charisma, that's for sure." Emi said.
"And my bad luck with girls continues…" Luke quietly murmured to himself.
"What was that?" Kasumi asked.
Luke just remained quiet.
"Luke, I'll show you to your room." Seth said. "Homura, can you take Kasumi to hers?"
"Sure." Homura nodded.
Seth took Luke to the second floor of the dorm and to the room that was right next door to older brother's room.
"The perfect place." Seth said. "I'm right next door, so if you need to ask me something or if you're in trouble, I'll be right there. And don't listen to Emi. She rarely says anything nice."
Luke was still quiet as he set his luggage by his bed.
"Come on, Luke." Seth said. "It's just us here right now. There's no need to be so distant."
"… You know I don't like being around other people…" Luke said.
"Luke-" Seth was about to say out of concern.
"B-but…" Luke continued. "Your friends here seem r-really nice… aside from the scary girl. Even Kasumi, despite her constant talking, seems pleasant to be around."
Seth's feeling of concern was partially replaced by surprise, giving him a light smile.
"Director Matsuzawa stated that my tactical capabilities are better than a majority of people in Heiwa." Luke said. "But to communicate those strategies, I need to overcome my anxiety. It'll take some time, I know, but this might be the perfect opportunity for me to get over it."
Seth walked up to Luke and gave him a warm, comforting hug.
"I'm so proud of you, Luke." Seth whispered. "You came to that conclusion all by yourself. And I know you're still not used to other people, so don't be afraid to ask for my help every now and then, but you still have to get through conversations on your own. You won't learn anything if I keep helping you."
Luke smiled and closed his eyes. "… I know…"
The brothers remained in each other's arms for almost half a minute until Seth backed off.
"You should probably start unpacking and head to bed." Seth said. "I'm sure you want to spend time with me, but it's gonna be a bit difficult with studying for finals. Once finals are over, I'm completely free."
"O-okay." Luke nodded.
After showing Luke to his room, Seth went up to the third floor and saw Homura closing the door to one of the rooms.
"Is she heading to bed?" Seth asked as he walked up to her.
"No, Kasumi's going to be up for a bit." Homura replied. "She's not at all what I expected."
"You say it like that's a bad thing."
"N-no! She's just not as formal as her father. I'm surprised how different she and Luke are."
"Yeah, Luke brought up how she kept trying to talk to him on the train ride here."
"… Why'd you come up here?" Homura asked in suspicion.
"Just wanted to see if she'd be a possible future wife for Luke."
Homura stared at Seth like he was being weird. "… As long as you don't get creepy, ask away."
Seth just looked at Homura in confusion as she walked down the staircase. He went up to the door Homura had come out of and knocked on it.
"Kasumi, it's Seth!" Seth said. "Mind if I talk to you?"
"Sure, let me just get dressed… again…" Kasumi replied from within her room.
Seth waited for half a minute until the door was opened by Kasumi.
"What'd you wanna talk about?" Kasumi asked cheerfully.
"Just wanted to pick your brain for a bit." Seth replied.
"Already taken aback by my feminine wiles?" Kasumi teased by stretching her arms behind her head.
"Eheheheh, no… But I AM curious about your type."
"As much as I love me some beefcake, I'd rather date guys with cute personalities. Mostly the shy, innocent, loyal type."
Seth noticed behind her the contents within her room. A stack of magazines with muscular male models on their covers, a few health and fitness guides and a couple of small stuffed cat plush toys had already been unpacked and strewn across the floor.
"You unpacked quick." Seth said. "You did this AND took your clothes off in the less than a minute since Homura left you alone?"
"I'm just excited is all." Kasumi chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. "It's not often I..." She then shook her head. "Never mind."
"Hm?" Seth raised his eyebrow.
"You and the others have finals to study for. There'll be plenty of time for talk after that. Good night!"
Kasumi closed the door, leaving Seth slightly dumbfounded, but she did have a point. He went back downstairs for another study session in the dorm's lobby.
July 12, 2009, Sunday, Evening
Everyone in Heiwa spent the next few days studying for finals and their focus was disrupted when there was knocking on their front door.
"Curses! I almost had it!" Nobuo growled and pounded his fists against the table.
"Who says 'curses', seriously?" Daichi questioned.
Seth went to the door, opened it and to his surprise saw Mitsuru.
"Mitsuru? What brings you here?" Seth asked.
"There's something important I need to tell you." Mitsuru said with a regretful look on her face. "It's something I've been hiding for a few months now, even from most of S.E.E.S. I told them the other day and… things are rather tense between us. I came here in the hopes of at least informing all of you of the situation as well."
Mitsuru came inside and told them how her grandfather had headed a series of Shadow-related experiments near Gekkoukan until ten years ago, when an explosion had killed most of the scientists which resulted in the Dark Hour and the Shadows that appeared on nights of the full moon. The silver lining being that Ikutsuki discovered that defeating the powerful Shadows would get rid of the Dark Hour. When she was finished speaking, there was a heavy silence amongst the Heiwa members.
"… I'm sorry I've kept this secret for so long…" Mitsuru apologized.
"… No point in apologizing to us." Seth said.
"Huh?" Mitsuru looked at Seth in confusion.
"Keeping this from us… That's understandable." Seth clarified. "Despite our alliance, we both have suspicions about the other. There are many things we haven't told you about Heiwa, but none of those are things you need to know. However, I do feel you should have told us this much, much sooner. Though, you should really be apologizing to your teammates. If their leader's keeping secrets from them, the team's loyalty starts to waver. From now on, you should be more open to them."
"…" Mitsuru sighed. "You're a fair wiser leader than I am, Mr. Carter."
"I doubt that, Mitsuru. I'm far more inexperienced than you in leadership. We both excel in certain areas, but are disadvantaged in others. Just don't beat yourself up over this."
Mitsuru lightly smiled and stood up. "Thank you. I appreciate the advice, but I'm not sure how much good it will do at this point."
"All we can do is wait."
"Now if you'll excuse us, we have finals to study for." Daichi interrupted.
"Very well, I shall take my leave." Mitsuru said as she walked toward the door.
"Before you go…" Seth spoke up.
"Ugggggh!" Daichi groaned and slammed his head against the table.
"We recently recruited two new members." Seth stated. "One of them's my little brother, Luke. The other is Kasumi, our director's daughter. I felt I should've told you about that at least."
"Thank you for sharing that information." Mitsuru said. "I should follow your example in trusting your team."
Mitsuru left the dorm and Seth proudly crossed his arms.
"You all hear that?" Seth asked. "I was just complimented on my leadership skills! Now you HAVE to show me respect!"
"And it's comments like that that make us roll our eyes." Daichi said.
"Killjoy…" Seth murmured.
July 18, 2009, Saturday, After School
The moment Seth had finished his last test, he dropped his head onto his desk and was about to fall asleep.
"Thank God it's over…" Seth whispered to himself.
"Don't be so dramatic!" Homura laughed.
Seth turned his cell phone on and he immediately received a text message.
"Hm?" Seth sat up and read over the message. "Mitsuru and her gang's going to Yakushima on Monday for three days!"
Homura sighed. "If only we could go somewhere nice like that… Must be good being rich…"
"Hold on…" Seth raised his index finger and continued sifting through the message. "… Read this."
Seth handed Homura his phone and she read the message.
"… No way!" Homura exclaimed loudly. "We're invited, too?!"
"I couldn't believe it either!" Seth exclaimed as well. "That's why I handed it to you, so I'd know if I was hallucinating!"
"AH!" Homura shouted with a dejected face. "Oh no!"
"What?"
"I haven't gone swimming in five years! I doubt my old swimsuit would fit me anymore!" She quickly picked up her bag. "I'll see you later, Seth! I have to go to the mall NOW!"
Homura bolted out the door like a superhero while Seth just stared blankly.
"Come to think of it…" Seth muttered while rubbing his chin. "Luke's never gone swimming in years either. And I completely forgot mine back in America. Might as well go to the mall with Luke and pick something out."
Seth left the classroom while sending a text message to Luke about his plans for the afternoon.
A/N: I'm sorry this took so long! May and June were busy months for me! I'm also sorry not a whole lot happened this chapter, but I felt like I got what I needed to write in. While I was planning to bring Luke in later and Kasumi in another story, I felt like it might be best to introduce them here and add a couple more Social Links for Seth. Speaking of Persona… DAMMIT! WE'RE NOT GETTING PERSONA 5 UNTIL NEXT YEAR! Anyway, here are the current Social Link stats. I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time!
Heiwa (Fool) – Rank 5
Junpei (Magician) – Rank 5
Fuuka (Priestess) – Rank 2
Mitsuru (Empress) - Rank 3
Akihiko (Emperor) – Rank 3
Homura (Lovers) – Rank 5
Theodore (Hermit) – Rank 3
Nobuo (Fortune) – Rank 3
Daichi (Strength) – Rank 3
Makoto (Death) - Rank 4
Hardcore Gamer (Temperance) - Rank 3
Emi (Devil) – Rank 3
Troubled Woman (Tower) – Rank 3
Leliana (Star) - Rank 2
Luke (Moon) – Rank 1
Shy Stalker (Sun) – Rank 2
Kasumi (Aeon) – Rank 1