A/N: First of all, I would like to thank you all for continuing to read this little story of mine. I appreciate it and the feedback from the reviews helps frame where certain parts are lacking and other parts inundated with detail. I am always trying to figure out where I can improve and still feel that frenzied energy to write and scratch out ideas as they come. Also, it is a relief to know that I can do a chapter filled with a lot of action from start to finish. Feel free to send a private message if you have a burning theory or idea. I'm happy to answer them.

I'll be the first to admit that this chapter was difficult to write. The previous chapter was the culmination of a lot of groundwork coming together and a lot of new questions being formed in the story, which is good! At the same time, I did a thorough reading from the beginning all the way to the previous chapter. There were a couple of mistakes that I caught, but nothing too major and I liked that I have improved in some areas with suggestions from readers and my beta reader. So, yeah another thing I wanted to point out is that there is a lot of action in the last chapter for obvious reasons and successfully settling things down this chapter was hard to do. I found myself scratching things out numerous times and rolling ideas in my head. There are a lot of loose threads and I have the majority of them written down in a separate document so that I don't lose track of them. I'm still trying to figure out the appropriate timing to introduce certain elements into the story, which goes back to pacing, aha! This chapter has some things Minato is saying in between the lines that will make more sense later. By no means is the end unmalleable, but as I've said before I know the general ending I want. The trouble is getting there of course, and we are very slowly getting there. Though there are still so many doors to explore and contemplate. It's really hard for me to pick and choose. This chapter is another one that builds up on the thinking going on in the minds of the various characters as they try to return to normalcy after a life or death battle.

And that author's note was way too long, and this chapter is too long for my taste, but I had a lot to say this time around. Happy holidays and see you back in the next chapter in 2014! Thank you to my beta, rEpose, for putting up with me!

Final Update: Updated with my beta's edits.

Reader Reviews:

Phearo: Yes, you are correct! Minato managed to summon two Personas at the same time. Although, the reasons for why he was able to still remain a mystery in this chapter. I have a bad penchant for ending chapters with cliffhangers. Thanks for reading.

Yoshikunitsu: Oh, which character did you have in mind? And yes, S.E.E.S. has to wonder why Minato isn't exactly forthcoming about who he is or his abilities. Things will eventually lead to a flashing point I think. Hmm, can't comment too much about his mindset and his arcana since it will be too spoiler laden.

RomanceDagger: I'm glad that you think Minato is still capable of helping out. You'll see that he has to dance around quite a lot this chapter and that the doubt continues to grow as his answers leave much to be desired for some of S.E.E.S.

Sir-Godot: Good to see you again! And yes, I agree that it is easy to get to the point where the main character in a time travel story is too omnipresent and omniscient with events not changing much. It is a slippery slope and I try to hold the central theme tight enough that the alterations make sense in the long-run, or so I hope. There are a lot of issues to be introduced and involved. As you mentioned in a previous review, Hamuko is the main character in a way with Minato stumbling around, wondering what he should mess with and what to leave alone.

EmD23: Yes, I think that's the inevitable result for Minato because all of his fabrications are somehow more believable than the truth, the only problem being he isn't sure what the truth is and will eventually get mired in the own tangle of his lies! Limiting his Arcana I thought was a good way to focus on certain personality traits. Yes, Minato no longer holds death, but there is a good reason that certain Shadows seek him.

Yami-no-Majou077: Thank you for the compliment, Yami! I tried to make the previous chapter as exciting as it could be without becoming too much binging on the action scenes. And the part where he used 2 Persona at the same time was meant to be the climax, so good call. I will say that she was calling for Minato, but for a reason that I can't explain yet.

rydia3791: Yeah, I did wonder at some point while I was writing the previous chapter if I was going overboard with the feels and action, but felt that the chapter afterwards would be buildup again so yeah I went for it. Yes! I'm glad someone caught that. It was sort of a bad joke gone wrong, but I used it anyhow. And you're right on the ball about Mitsuru trying to interrogate him, and let's just say that this isn't the last time that she attempts to drag information out of him.

ShatteredMirage: A lot of questions, but not a lot of answers yet, right? Let's just say that all 3 of the things you mentioned are related to each other!

Chapter 18: Affectation

May 9th, Saturday (Monorail Station Entrance, Dark Hour)

Yukari P.O.V.

The silence was deafening and Yukari could still felt the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Jumping out of the moving train had screamed against her instincts, but that had been the only way to survive. Her body didn't feel like it belonged to her, shaking relentlessly as Yukari felt like vomiting from the way her head kept spinning. Slowly, but surely, Yukari felt the world begin to slow down, and a bubbling of resentment took the place of her nausea. Mitsuru had said that the train would stop if they beat the huge Shadow, but she had been mistaken- nearly fatally so- for the four member team on board the train. Yukari knew that it was a bit irrational for her to place the blame solely on her senpai, since none of them could have possibly anticipated what happened. However, her lingering dislike of anything related to the Kirijo group predisposed her to blame Mitsuru for the near fatal wreck.

On the other hand, Yukari felt her opinion changing towards Minato. He seemed so aloof to her whenever she conversed with him, but he had been the one to help stop the train, according to Mitsuru and Akihiko. Maybe there was more to Minato than she originally thought, but that could wait for later. Yukari sat down by herself off to the side of the tracks and tried to clear her head of the lingering effects of the mission, but fell into a familiar cycle of self-loathing.

Am I really this powerless? I've been saved twice already from dying. I don't want to depend on anyone for anything. The only reason I'm here is to find out the truth about my father. If I have to depend on anyone, I'll become just like my mother. No! I refuse to! But… I wouldn't even be here without the help of the others. Dad, I just wish sometimes that you hadn't sent that letter to me. Maybe then I would've been able to move on instead of trying to dig up the past.

Hamuko P.O.V.

The stars in Hamuko's eyes slowly abated and she gingerly felt a large egg-shaped lump on the back of her head. Akihiko, noticing that she was conscious, extended a firm hand and helped her get on her feet. An unexpected chill caused Hamuko to shiver, grabbing hold of her shoulders, and rubbing them down trying to warm up a little. That's when Hamuko noticed chunks of ice scattered around them, which had her wondering what could have caused them. The jump from the train had been close to suicidal and Hamuko remembered the sickening crunch when she landed as Yukari had inadvertently used her as a cushion, knocking Hamuko out until now. Wondering if everyone else was alright, she looked around and saw Junpei sprawled on the ground behind her, although it seemed to be out of exhaustion more than any type of injury, as his chest slowly rose and sank indicating that he was breathing. Yukari was off to the side, keeping to herself, and gave a weak smile to her when she noticed that Hamuko was looking in her direction. Minato was leaning on Mitsuru's bike, but looked alright. That accounted for everyone except for Mitsuru who soon reappeared.

"The Dark Hour is almost over," Mitsuru said, walking towards them from the front nose of the monorail, "I have arranged transport for the trip back to the dormitory, as we all are obviously exhausted after the operation. All of you did a commendable job today," with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Mitsuru-senpai, is anyone hurt?" Hamuko asked after noticing some damage on the monorail.

"Fortunately, no one was injured," Mitsuru reassured her. "Things could have turned out much worse than they did. I was especially worried when the four of you jumped out of the monorail, but there are only minor cuts and bruises."

"That's a relief," Hamuko replied. None of the civilians or S.E.E.S. had gotten injured; that was a minor miracle in itself. It seemed like they had all dodged the bullet this time around. Although, Hamuko had even more questions than before after Minato had summoned a Persona that had rammed its horns in an effort to slow down the train earlier. It just didn't add up to her.

Mitsuru P.O.V.

"Akihiko, can I ask you something privately?" Mitsuru inquired of the white-haired senior.

"Sure, what is it, Mitsuru?" he replied walking up to her and out of earshot of the rest of the group.

"Did you see what Arisato-kun did before you jumped out of the train?" she asked.

"What do you mean? I saw him summon a different Persona than the one we've seen before, and that was a surprise. I had no idea that he had a similar power to Hamuko's. He didn't do anything else, right?" Akihiko looked at her, a bit confused as to what she was getting at.

"I see, so you did not see the events leading up to that incident," she muttered more to herself, than Akihiko. "And none of the others saw more than you did?"

"I was too busy trying to figure out which lever to pull to stop the train after Minato told me, and no, the others were too far back to see anything," Akihiko replied. "All of us were freaked out to say the least when we saw Minato's new Persona, but besides that we didn't see much else."

"Akihiko, you trust me completely, don't you?" Mitsuru said as her eyes shifted around to see if anyone was listening in on them.

"Yeah, of course," he replied and nodding to her statement. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here after all these years and everything that's happened."

"When the transportation arrives, get in the same limousine as mine, and make sure to bring Arisato-kun," Mitsuru said with finality. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must notify the Chairman of tonight's events." Mitsuru stalked off toward the equipment leaving Akihiko scratching his head in uncertainty.

One ring, two rings, and after three rings the line connected to the Chairman on the opposite line at the dormitory.

"Hello, Mitsuru," Ikutsuki said. "I read the note that you left for me in the control room saying that all of you went to investigate the appearance of a large Shadow by the monorail. Please fill me in on the details."

"Chairman, the mission was a success without any civilian casualties," Mitsuru began, trying to keep her tone even. "However, the monorail did receive a moderate amount of damage to the front and there was minor damage to the railroad itself. It was unavoidable due to the Shadow somehow controlling the machinery through unknown means."

"I see," Ikutsuki replied. "That is highly disquieting that the Shadows have the ability to control our machinery. I will need to monitor the reactions of the police and rail authorities in tomorrow's headlines. Although, I feel that without any injuries to civilians the issue will be put to rest after an investigation."

"That is a relief," Mitsuru replied, feeling a bit better. "The team did an excellent job under the circumstances. However, as you mentioned the fact that the Shadows would be audacious enough to target a monorail gives me pause. Do you believe that it has begun?"

"It is still far too early to draw up any formal conclusions," Ikutsuki said. "However, we will not always be able to let the Shadows have the first move and not expect to have casualties. The best that we can do for now is to observe their behavior for patterns and clues and go on from there."

Ikutsuki's words reminded Mitsuru of how feeble her support abilities were. She did not even want to think about what would have happened if Minato had not been there. Furthermore, she had been the one to suggest that he should wait back at the dormitory. That would have been a costly miscalculation on her part.

"If only I had more power, things wouldn't have been so difficult for the others," Mitsuru said, feeling rather depressed.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Ikutsuki reassured her. "You are doing a fine job and are an integral part of the team. For now, just return the team to the dormitory and recuperate; I do not need the report for the mission immediately."

"Understood," Mitsuru said and cut the line off.

Mitsuru deliberately left out the part about Minato's timely intervention in the conversation with Ikutsuki. She wasn't sure herself why she would leave out such a significant detail out. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ikutsuki, but more that she had to understand for herself the mystery behind Minato's actions. Therefore, Mitsuru had deliberately called for two limousines to pick up the team and corner Minato with no escape route. He was no doubt an asset, especially after what had transpired here, but he was not an asset that she could not easily control, like Hamuko, and that concerned her.

Junpei P.O.V.

The eerie chill of the Dark Hour still hung in the air like a thick fog that wouldn't go away. Junpei had hoped that if he stalled enough, the Dark Hour would've ended the next time he sat up, but things weren't really going his way today. S.E.E.S. had congregated towards the front of the station so that they could make an expedient exit when the Dark Hour ended without drawing too much attention from the normal civilians. Mitsuru had warned them that there would be a widespread commotion when the passengers on the train discovered the damage left by the team and that leaving the area would be their best bet. Junpei had wanted to stick around and prance around, saying he was the one that had stopped the two trains from colliding, but what his senpai had said made sense because they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. As if on cue, the hunter green sky was replaced by a starless night as a pair of vehicles rumbled onto the pavement. A pair of jet-black limousines pulled up to the curb and two sharply dressed chauffeurs in matching black uniforms formally greeted Mitsuru.

Thinking back on the fight on the train, Junpei was a bit disappointed that he didn't get the finishing blow to beat the large Shadow after it had scarred him for life during the battle. This trip was Junpei's first experience fighting one of the big ones, and he had a long ways to go before he would feel satisfied. Though, he had to begin somewhere in his quest to save the world through his own special ability, even with the glory hog, Hamuko, around. Junpei's train of thought was washed away as he walked toward a limo and a chauffeur held the door open for him and all he could see inside was luxurious leather and what looked like a small mountain of food inside.

"Wow, being a Kirijo sure has its perks!" Junpei said unabashedly. His comment drew chuckles from everyone else on the team as they filed into two separate groups of juniors and seniors, except for Minato who was dragged away by Akihiko towards Mitsuru's limo. Most likely for punishment, Junpei thought darkly, but that meant that Junpei would have two cuties all for himself on the way back!

As they were quickly whisked on their way back to the dorm Junpei started to dig in to the pile of chips he had opened.

"Try to act at least a bit civilized, Junpei," Yukari warned him with a disapproving scowl on her face.

"Relax, Yuka-tan," Junpei said. "We just won a major battle, and it would be bad manners to not indulge in senpai's hospitality.

Yukari just gave him one last miffed look and quieted down.

Hamuko had been silent up until now and she looked like she was lost in thought.

"Hey, Hamuko," Junpei began, "What's up? You don't look very happy for someone who landed the killing blow on the boss Shadow."

"It's nothing, Junpei," she replied, "I'm just a bit shaken up."

"You and me both," Yukari told her, "While Junpei seems to have already forgotten that we nearly died back there."

"By the way, did either of you know that Minato could summon a second Persona?" Hamuko inquired of them. Junpei and Yukari both shook their heads.

"It was news to me, Hamuko," Junpei said, "I mean, the guy with the messed up arm saves the day at the end. How does that make any sense?"

Apparently, Junpei had said something insulting or insightful, as no one said anything for the rest of the trip back.

Minato P.O.V.

This had to be a deliberate setup and Minato didn't enjoy Mitsuru giving him one of her trademark glares with the light of the full moon partially illuminating the interior of the limo as it lurched forward. Minato had become suspicious the moment Akihiko offered to help him to the limo because his senpai had seemed exhausted after the battle. Sure enough, Minato had been right to be suspicious, as he would need to improvise yet again.

"Arisato-kun, I want to thank you for your actions today," Mitsuru began and pressed a button which pulled up a wooden partition in the middle of the car that prevented the chauffeur from listening in. "However, I am concerned as to why did you failed to inform us that you could use more than one Persona?"

"I didn't know that I could, senpai," he replied and wondered how he would dance around the sharp logic of the imperious empress. "It sort of just happened when I tried to summon my normal Persona, you know, Inugami." Igor had clearly explained to him that he no longer possessed the power of the Wild Card. To reinforce this fact, Minato had no inkling if his choice of words were right or not during conversations in his day-to-day life, which resulted in awkward situations more than once so far. The only reason he could think that he summoned a new Persona was that peculiar feeling he felt near the end of the team's battle with the Priestess Arcana, but Minato wasn't going to try to explain to Mitsuru that he was acting on things that he may or may not have felt in his head. She was already suspicious enough about him as things stood now.

"That seems too convenient of an excuse," she said, leaning forward and perhaps trying to increase the pressure on him. It worked, but for the wrong reasons, as Minato felt blood rushing toward his face.

Akihiko, who hadn't said anything to this point interrupted, "I don't know, Mitsuru. It isn't like Hamuko knew that she could summon more than one Persona until she joined us. Maybe Minato just woke up to part of his potential when put into a stressful situation. He was heavily involved at the end of the operation this time around."

"However, Akihiko," Mitsuru countered, while tapping her boot's heel in impatience and not budging an inch away from Minato, "He could already summon a Persona before he joined us. Are you telling me that only now he could have awakened to a higher potential? I sincerely doubt it."

Akihiko looked down at the floor in thought and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again after no words came out.

Mitsuru's continued to press Minato and said, "Pretend that I believe what you just said. That still does not explain how you managed to simultaneously summon Penthesilea and your own Persona."

This caught Akihiko's attention as he looked squarely at Minato. "Are you saying that he summoned Penthesilea? And he managed to control her?" he asked incredulously, "Is that even possible?"

"Yes it is, Akihiko," Mitsuru said bluntly and finally giving Minato some space to breathe. "He pulled the trigger of his evoker when it was on the side of my head and my Persona appeared." She paused for a moment for effect and added, "Also, if he can summon his own Persona without an evoker, then why did he bring it to the battle if he had planned to only support us?"

"I've been injured, so I haven't exactly had an opportunity until now, and I don't really know the full extent of my powers." Minato took a deep breath to gather himself and continued, "I was just as surprised as you were when I managed to summon a different Persona and Penthesilea at the same time, because it was a desperation move that I didn't think would work. As to why, I brought my evoker; I heard from Yukari that she dropped her evoker during the last battle on the dorm rooftop and it nearly cost her."

It felt like a long while as Mitsuru and Akihiko thought about what Minato had just explained to them.

Akihiko was the first one to break the silence as he stated, "I believe you, Minato. While I think you've been a bit reckless, which is kinda funny coming from me, what you did tonight was the reason the team escaped with their lives today. Besides, this is the second time you've saved my butt out there in the field."

Mitsuru looked unmoved by Akihiko's affirmative sentiment, but finally relented after a heavy sigh that seemed to reverberate around the cabin of the limo. Her expression softened and her aura of intimidation seemed to recede as she uncrossed her arms and stopped giving Minato a death stare.

"I apologize if I seemed too accusatory, Arisato-kun. I just wanted to make sure that you were not hiding anything from us. It is not that I want to question you, but that we need every bit of information in the battle against the Shadows. It must be difficult to have me interrogate you after your significant contributions in this last battle."

"Don't worry about it," Minato replied. "I'm learning on the job just like everyone else. I just seem to have good instincts and get lucky from time to time."

"Thank you for understanding," she said as she began to jot something down in elegant and loopy handwriting on a notepad that she extracted from a side compartment.

"Minato, just know we are both here for you if you need to talk to us about anything." Akihiko couldn't hide a hint of concern in his tone as the chauffeur pulled up to the front of the dormitory.

"I know, senpai," Minato replied. He knew that this was far from over.

May 10th, Sunday (Screen Shot Movie Theater, Daytime)

Hamuko P.O.V.

That strange boy that randomly appeared in her room had been right after all. Although, Hamuko wished he had been a bit more specific in his warning so that she could've been better prepared. She went about her duties as a part-time cashier at the movie theater in a dazed fashion because the previous night had been such an exhausting affair. The adrenaline had prevented her from getting much sleep at all. Her mind continued to buzz with various reports from the television about the damage the monorail received. People had been driven into an uproar that no one was injured in the presumed attack. Some reports called it vandalism, others called it an act of terrorism, and everyone at the theater was buzzing with the latest rumors and developments of the story. Even Hamuko's coworkers knew about the incident and everyone kept repeating the same couple of questions to each other.

Hamuko was so annoyed that she didn't even notice that someone had walked up to the ticket booth until she heard a gentle tap on the glass pane that separated customers from the theater employees. The redhead yelped in surprise and quickly looked forward to see none other than Minato.

"I'm busy!" she seethed at him, to which he simply nodded and walked toward a nearby bench still in view of the theater. She hadn't forgotten how he had ditched her at school on the rooftop and felt annoyed that Minato didn't seem bothered by her snappish response at all. In fact, he just pulled out his headphones and patiently waited for her. Maybe, she would skip her break out of spite so that he would keep waiting there for nothing. But staying here and listening to more implausible explanations about the train incident was a nightmare. She gave in and called for someone to take her spot while she went on break. Hamuko walked out of the booth and marched towards Minato who noticed her approach and invited her to sit down beside him.

"What do you want?" she mumbled, trying not to look at him directly and putting on a haughty face, partly for show.

"I wanted to see you. Isn't that reason enough?" Minato said to her in a playful manner.

"After what you pulled last time? I doubt that's true," she replied. "But, since you're here, how did you manage to summon a second Persona? We all saw this crazed figure with no arms trying to slow the train down and Akihiko-senpai later told me that it was yours."

His expression changed from playful to somber and he said, "I dunno, to be honest. I went through the same process that I go through when I summon a Persona, you know, with crushing this card and whatnot." He pulled out that weird Tarot card and gave it to her.

Hamuko examined it, but there didn't seem to be any changes to it, at least as far as she could tell. Although, the strange figure in the card seemed to have turned a tad clockwise, unless her eyes were fooling her. She gave the card back to him and he inserted it back into his pocket.

"But I can say that I can't really compare with your ability." His tone sounded carefree, but had a hint of bitterness behind it. "I can't feel Inugami's presence anymore, which most likely means that I'm stuck with the guy without any arms."

She decided not to press the issue because she felt like Minato wouldn't offer much more than he had. Still, it seemed like she somehow understood him a little better. He definitely had a lot of layers to his personality and wasn't as simple as he had led her to believe.

"I also just wanted to say that I'm sorry for doubting you, Hamuko. While it may be a coincidence, you were right about the Shadow showing up on the full moon again."

It was unexpected that he would apologize so easily, but Hamuko decided to take advantage of the situation to see if he really meant it or not. She looked for the shop with the longest line of customers and saw that the ice cream store was the winner.

"As if it'll be that easy, Minato," she retorted and let out a sinister chuckle pointing towards the ice cream shop. "Go buy me lunch. I want a strawberry sundae with sprinkles and chocolate syrup. The girl who works there goes to our school and thinks you're cute. Work that charm of yours to get me extra syrup."

"Diabolical as ever," he said shaking his head in disbelief at the coiling line around the block with people waiting for their ice cream. "Fine, but are we even after this?"

"We already were," Hamuko said cheerfully. "You did save me and the rest of the team on the train? I just wanted to see if you really meant you were sorry. Just bring my sundae to the ticket booth afterwards. I gotta get back to work now."

Minato let out a laugh that lit up his face and couldn't stop for a while. This was probably the first time Hamuko had seen him laugh like this. It made him look like a normal high school student for once. Usually, he never let his smile reach his eyes, and it made Hamuko feel that there was something seriously wrong with him. It wasn't a laugh veiled in sarcasm or cynicism, but it didn't last, as he reverted back to that impassive face no one could seem to pierce and he left to go stand in line to get her sundae.

(Iwatodai Dorm Lobby, Daytime)

Akihiko P.O.V.

Akihiko and Mitsuru had decided to meet each other after she had decided to further discuss their thoughts about Minato, after no one else had stayed around in the dorm on a beautiful day. Mitsuru had been dissatisfied with Minato's answers in the limo to which Akihiko thought she was merely being obstinate. In Akihiko's, opinion Minato did seem to be hiding something, but then again everyone had their own skeletons in their closet and Akihiko wasn't any different. What he knew for certain was that Minato had saved him twice in two major battles and there was no way he could distrust him. Little did Akihiko know that there was good reason for Mitsuru's adamant unwillingness to accept Minato's words and actions at face value.

"I will not drop it, Akihiko! There are just far too many coincidences and if he says anything to the others the fabric of our team will fall apart at the seams. Have you forgotten what happened with Aragaki? We cannot afford to have such a loose cannon on our hands."

"That isn't fair to Shinji, Mitsuru! And you know it!" Akihiko responded, getting worked up that Mitsuru would bring up that painful memory. "This isn't like that, Mitsuru. Minato hasn't done anything to indicate that he isn't on our side. He has complete control of his Persona as well, and I trust him completely since he saved my life twice already."

"Your judgment is clouded by that fact! How could he summon simultaneous Persona, let alone my Persona?! How did he know where the Shadow would appear? How could he have known that slaying the Shadow would not slow down the train? He even told you which lever to pull to slow down the train." Mitsuru's voice seemed to increase in volume as her barrage of words continued. "The lack of plausible explanations is what worries me most, Akihiko! I have to know what his true motivation is and if he sincerely wants the removal of the Dark Hour. Otherwise, he could be an enemy hiding in plain sight!"

"Calm down, Mitsuru. What you're saying is crazy. What makes you think he knows that much and is that dangerous?" Akihiko felt worried that his normally calm and collected friend was on the verge of exploding.

"He should not be alive!" she yelled, slamming a table with one of her palms. "He was confirmed dead in experiments by the Kirijo Group! Look at this!" Akihiko saw that she had placed an official looking file on the table bearing the Kirijo Group's symbol.

There was a pause in the argument as Akihiko's eyes grew progressively wider as he scanned the details of what Mitsuru had given him.

"This doesn't make any sense," Akihiko whispered, putting the file down. "This photo of him definitely looks like him, but it can't be the same person. Can it?"

"There is no way for us to ascertain his true motives. If he wanted revenge on the Kirijo Group he could've simply let the monorail mission fail. I do not know what to think of him."

Akihiko took one more glance at the photo in the file and felt the boy in the picture bore an uncanny resemblance to the floppy haired teen in the present.

May 12th, Tuesday (Gekkoukan High Library, After School)

Hamuko P.O.V.

Hamuko began to regret having signed up for so many different clubs and quietly banged her forehead on the desk in frustration. She had only signed up for the library committee at the behest of Ms. Toriumi who had not really given her much of a choice in the matter. The library committee consisted of only herself and a student named Saori Hasegawa. Saori, had shoulder length curly grey hair that framed her oval-shaped face well and fair skin. She was technically a junior, but two years older than Hamuko was due to the fact that she had spent some time overseas. The fact that Saori was older than her made Hamuko initially think that maybe she could be like an older sister type to her, but that simply wasn't the case. Saori was overly passive and had a hard time expressing herself around others. When Hamuko strolled around the hallways she would sometimes see Saori and wave to her, but she would only get a slight nod and disappear before Hamuko could chase her down to meet with some of her friends. Though, Hamuko did pity Saori because even though Hamuko was a transfer student she had assimilated well in Gekkoukan in such a short period of time.

"Hamuko, have you put on all the barcodes on the new library books yet?" Saori said.

"Yeah, nearly done, Saori-senpai," Hamuko replied while affixing the last couple of bar codes onto a bulky collection of nonfiction books. "Not much going on today."

"We haven't had many visitors today. I wonder why. You would think that everyone would be busy asking for resources to help them study for their midterms." Saori seemed genuinely puzzled at the lack of visitors to the information desk.

Hamuko debated whether she should tell Saori the real reason for the lack of visitors and decided to blabber. "Well, there are a lot of students in the library, but I think they're a bit afraid to come to the desk to ask for help."

"Why would they be afraid of us?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Uh, not us, senpai. But you," Hamuko said and began wondering if this had been such a great idea after all.

"I don't understand. Everyone at this school treats me well, why would they be intimidated by me?"

"Do they really treat you well?" Hamuko asked in doubt and giving Saori a skeptical look. "They only address you formally and ignore you otherwise."

"I…" Saori's voice trailed off. "Maybe, we should end the meeting for today." She left the library in a beeline for the exit without second notice.

Hamuko knew she had spoken out of turn the moment she saw Saori's eyes on the verge of tears.

"I really need to watch what I say sometimes," Hamuko grumbled as she was left to clean up the info desk by herself.

May 15th, Friday (Gekkoukan High Entrance, Early Morning)

Hamuko P.O.V.

It was another clear, sunny day and a gentle breeze tickled Hamuko's hair as it swayed to and fro. Saori had avoided her the last couple of days. Hamuko couldn't complain because they needed some time apart from each other and Hamuko needed to study. A dull headache reminded her of the late night cramming she had done over the past couple of days and felt irascible with things that normally wouldn't bother her much. As such, her response to someone lightly tapping her on the shoulder near the school entrance was met with predictable results.

"Yeah, what do you want?" she said irritably and turning around to see Mitsuru giving her a quizzical look.

"Good morning, have I caught you at a bad time?" she said.

"N-no, of course not!" Hamuko replied, trying to stutter away her embarrassment. "How are you, senpai?"

"A bit better than you, it would seem," she mused with a knowing smile. "Am I correct to assume that you have been studying diligently for exams next week?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm a bit irritated. I haven't gotten much rest in between clubs and catching up on my backlog of work from Tartarus."

"That is quite admirable," Mitsuru said. "To be honest, I wish I applied myself more to my studies and must admit that I am not as prepared as I should be. Monitoring Shadow activity does take priority over my other duties. Although, I am pleased to inform you that the number of Apathy Case syndrome have decreased dramatically since our mission at the monorail station."

"It's good to know that our efforts are making a difference. Though, it seems like everywhere I go people are still talking about the damage on the train."

Mitsuru gave her a reassuring nod and said, "You do not need to worry about that, as the Kirijo Group already provided funds for the rebuilding of the Anehazaru to the transit authority."

The Kirijo Group seemed to have its tentacles everywhere on this island and Hamuko was reminded of the power that her senpai wielded. Hamuko didn't like the fact that the public must not know the real reason for the train damage, but figured it was a necessary evil, otherwise there would be mass panic. She wondered about how many other major events the Kirijo Group must've covered up until now. Hamuko's facial expression must've given her away because Mitsuru questioned her.

"Arisato-chan, is there something wrong?" Mitsuru asked her. "We should be getting in soon for the beginning of classes."

"Uh, it's nothing, Mitsuru-senpai." Hamuko decided to fill the awkward break in the conversation with something else. "Um, do you think Minato is going to join us on the frontlines any time soon?"

Mitsuru pondered her question for a moment and said, "That is up to him. I believe that the doctors mentioned that the prognosis for his injury varies widely in the time for the fracture to heal. Also, I want to ease him in slowly because he has shown a tendency to be more reckless than Akihiko, which I find troubling for his long-term health."

"Hmm, I see. Oh well, I'll see you back at the dorm, senpai. Nice chatting with you!" Hamuko and Mitsuru went their separate ways as the warning bell rang.

May 17th, Sunday (Iwatodai Dormitory, Afternoon)

Hamuko P.O.V.

She should've studied more and the nagging voice in the back of her head told her that she should've taken fewer trips to Tartarus. It was really a delicate balance in juggling Tartarus, school, her part-time job at the theater, and her friends. If there was any spare time in her schedule Hamuko had yet to discover it, and trying to remember everything for midterms was boring her to tears. She still needed to review her least favorite subject, Japanese history.

Opening her history notebook, she read her notes and tried to make sense of it all. The Kirota Tomb is located in Nara, she kept repeating in her head. As the hours passed it was a relief to realize that she had taken a copious amount of notes. After what seemed like an eternity, she had made it to the end of her notebook and had started doodling aimlessly. It was a good time for a break and was surprised to see that it was nearly 10 p.m. She wanted a snack, so Hamuko decided to go raid the pantry in the kitchen, hoping that the bag of rice cakes someone bought were still there.

The pantry door propped open, but there was nothing there but dust. Hamuko sighed in discontent. Eating ramen this late would make her face bloated in the morning, but there wasn't much in alternatives. She took out a pot and poured tap water from the sink inside, turned on the stove, and hummed a tune, waiting for the water to boil. Hamuko added the seasoning and poked the unbroken block of ramen with wooden chopsticks to submerge it completely. Soon enough, the delicious scent of ramen engulfed the kitchen and Hamuko took her bowl to the nearby table to dig in. It would be nice if there was an apple or orange, but no one ever seemed to go to the supermarket in the dorm. It was always ramen or takeout. Maybe she could convince someone to go with her sometime; it would be a fun change of pace.

May 23rd, Saturday (Homeroom, After School)

Minato P.O.V.

Exams were over and Minato felt relieved that at least something went right the second time around. He had barely studied and wondered if this was considered cheating or not, but dismissed it as not worthy of an issue worth much concern. The world would end before I needed to study a lot, he thought morbidly. Regardless, he pretended to worry about how well he had done on the exams with Yukari, Junpei, and Hamuko, as they all chatted animatedly about questions they had trouble answering. That was when Minato remembered that he had an appointment at the hospital today.

He interrupted the conversation and said, "I need to go to the hospital soon since the doctor is gonna check up on my arm. I never really liked having to go to hospitals."

"Cheer up, Minato," Yukari said, "I'm sure you'll get some good news."

"Yeah, don't sweat it, dude," Junpei added with enthusiasm.

"Why don't you like hospitals though?" Hamuko asked him.

"Well, only people who have been hurt or sick end up going to the hospital. And it can just be a really depressing kind of place unless you're optimistic all the time," Minato said.

"But it can also be a place where people can recover and get better," Hamuko argued.

Their conversation abruptly ended as the sliding doors to the classroom opened with Mitsuru and Akihiko entering their classroom, drawing the stares of their respective fan clubs. They walked towards him and he put on a bemused expression.

"Minato, let's go," Akihiko said. "We're going with you to the hospital for your checkup."

"I don't need you guys to take me to the hospital," Minato said dismissively. "It isn't even that far from the school."

"We're aware of that," Mitsuru replied and grabbed his good arm with an alarming show of strength and steering him towards the exit of the classroom. "We didn't say you had a choice in the matter."

"See you later dude! Hope you get some good news," Junpei chuckled as Minato walked out of the classroom flanked by the two imposing seniors.

He was getting his checkup with Akihiko and Mitsuru tagging along, whether he wanted them to or not.