A/N: Wow, that's a lot of reviews for the previous chapter! Thank you for taking the time to give me feedback on the story, I appreciate it. It is encouraging to see reviews touching on various subjects and I find it essential in trying to rectify aspects that aren't quite up to par. As for the chapter below this author's note it is a slightly shorter chapter that sets up future events and helps to bind some story elements together that were floating out there. The chapter isn't really filler I hope, more like something to fill holes for a lack of a better term. It isn't a coincidence that this part of the game seemed to bog down a bit and not much happening. Two parts of the original chapter will be in the next chapter because they didn't fit thematically with this one. Overall, this was a chapter that touches on a myriad number of things that seemed a bit disparate to me at first. Keeping track of things and trying to avoid holes was interesting and honestly a bit monotonous. On an interesting note, I felt that Ikutsuki's actions later on in the game weren't explained clearly enough and will attempt to bolster that part with some development of his character and motivations. Anyways, I went back and fixed numerous grammar issues in previous chapters. Once I finish editing only Chapters 23 and 24 will not be finalized. Many thanks to my beta, rEpose. And thank you all for continuing to support my project.
Edit: Thanks goes out to toejam18 for finding a baffling error in Chapter 17. A good eye there! Part of that chapter was cut out somehow in gmail. Slight changes near the end of the chapter to better explain the conversation between Yukari and Minato.
Reader Reviews:
RomanceDagger: I agree that it took an abnormal amount of time to heal. His arm was fine back at the start of Chapter 19 and what exactly happened will be explained in the chapter below. And yeah, this S.E.E.S. is pretty dysfunctional, no? There's just different forces in play here that's causing the group to not work together as well as it should.
The Luckster: Minato is starting to slowly put his foot forward in trying to decide what kind of path he wants to go on I think. You're right that he may regret not trying to patch things up with Mitsuru, but as you mentioned what could he possibly say without knowing the reason? It would be hard enough to assuage her concerns normally since she thinks he is a threat to S.E.E.S. in general. And considering how Mitsuru considers the other members of the team as both pawns and essential in her own goal it creates an interesting dynamic. It can be argued that Mitsuru always acts as the motherly kind of figure for the team as a whole, but I think that nature of hers is really brought out later on in the game as she develops. Still, I am thinking of ways that he can get a chance to connect with her again so she isn't as perturbed by him. Thanks for mentioning the part about Hamuko's character development as it was something I tried to focus on in the previous chapter. Glad you liked it.
Sir Godot: Yes, it's definitely a challenge to keep in mind Minato's impact on the future. I think it really is a slow process for him to figure out what he wants to change and what he wants to keep. Of course, there's no way to really know how certain actions or words will alter what happens in the future for him. Alas, I need to remember to make sure the payoff at some point is logical and makes some kind of sense. I do have a few landmarks in mind of when the tension will reach a breaking point, but I haven't actually decided yet. And telling that particular example to Hamuko could end up having far-reaching ramifications depending on what direction I want to take it. I think when the appropriate time comes in the storyline it could be useful, hopefully not too much as a crutch. I don't want to speculate since we aren't there yet, aha. Thanks for the insightful review as always.
Sorata Shioya: I think their relationships are all going through ebbs and flows, but agree that the tension easing for now makes sense. Thank you for the compliment.
Yoshikunitsu: Indeed, it really is a process in building the story and moving it forward while trying to keep the focus on the characters. Though, some characters probably need some more time to develop soon, like Junpei. In his case, I find it harder to move since he doesn't really grow until later on in the game. Still, one of the parts I cut out from this chapter was centralized on his thinking before the next full moon phase so there's that. Hmm, as for Minato's personality I think is a solid theory and is augmented by the fact that he's fearful of the future, which is why he still clings onto the past. He'll get to where he needs eventually. For Fuuka, I actually find her character harder to write for some reason. I can't pinpoint it exactly, but here's to hoping that I get better with practice. Thank you for the praise and continuing to read.
Doom Marine 54: Yes, I am updating still, albeit pretty slowly compared to the past. I would agree that Junpei gets shown in a brighter light at times, but that is to help fill his character out in the earlier phases when he isn't doing much at all. I actually like Yukari more than Junpei since she is willing to call things out if they aren't right, so I may be overcompensating on that front. Thanks for taking the time to review, it's always good to see another perspective on what I'm doing.
DeathChaos25: Welcome back! I think Minato will start to build on his relationships with his dorm mates more as he spends the time and effort to know them. He is a bit erratic here at times and I think it's just him learning to be less socially awkward. I think learning slowly that not everyone is really out to get him, but willing to work with him will help him give and earn trust. He may say that he understands people from his past social links, but really he only saw limited facets of others who weren't social links like Akihiko, Junpei, Ken, and etcetera. And I've been attempting to avoid the in-game social link level up scenarios since they didn't really do much for me since they feel really scripted, though unavoidable at times. Agreed on gaining Fuuka's trust being helpful down the line, but as you touched on, Minato is probably not aware of the extent. Wow, I should definitely look into Commie sub group, thanks for the suggestion!
crymblade: Hi again, and no he isn't able to go out at night to train. He would probably get caught at some point and that would cause more trouble for him.
Elmion: Thank you. That's a lot of high praise! The back to the past theme is much trickier than I realized than when I first started trying to storyboard this. That said, writing is always a process and it's easy for a story to become muddled over time so I try to take extra care in explaining things; sometimes to an excruciating degree, but I consider that better than the opposite. I try to strike a balance in the characters since they are still teenagers after all no matter how mature or reliable they seem, there will be breakdowns and plain mistakes at times. I'm not sure if I consciously consider the ship teasing since I have not considered pairings at all. Mainly because I feel that it could be restrictive for the storytelling at this stage, but that's just me. Of course, things can always change and there's always room for improvement in any writing. Glad to see that you agree with the Hanged Man characterization. That was actually the idea that convinced me to start the story in the first place and probably the most important piece overall. Hope to see you again in the future and good luck with your own story!
Yami no Majou077: Hi Yami! Yeah, my updating pace has gotten pretty slow, but oh well. As for your question I would say both yes and no. I don't want to be too specific, but he actually doesn't have Orpheus anymore and I do not see him getting him back later on either. The Priestess calling his name is actually related to something else much later in the story, but I have not completely fleshed it out yet. But I see what you mean with the connection with the Priestess that would have been interesting without a doubt. Thank you for reviewing.
Chapter 24: Machinations
June 20th, Saturday (Gekkoukan High, Early Morning)
Hamuko P.O.V.
A clap of thunder caused Hamuko to wince as she walked hurriedly towards school with Yukari by her side. Their heavy footfalls caused water to kick up from the large puddles that seemed to have engulfed the majority of the sidewalk they took to get to school. The weather had been increasingly humid the past couple of days and it had only been a matter of time before a storm would come to pass. Wearing a light, fluorescent orange rain jacket that covered all the way down to her kneecaps, Hamuko was well prepared and could only ponder in disbelief as to what Yukari had been thinking wearing only her normal outfit. Both of the girls were struggling to stay underneath Hamuko's umbrella, which was having problems not flipping itself inside out due to the wind suddenly picking up.
"This just isn't my morning!" Yukari yelled angrily, soaking wet, and hair disheveled.
Hamuko felt tempted to make a wisecrack about her friend not dressing appropriately, but she didn't want to point out the obvious. Instead, Hamuko gritted her teeth and tried to shield Yukari the best she could under the buffeting of driving rain and wind. After what seemed like an eternity, the obscured outline of Gekkoukan High came into view and the girls reached the entrance of the school, proceeding to bolt inside the building. Thankfully for Hamuko, her jacket had taken the brunt of the weather and she easily dried her legs off with a towel she kept in her locker that she used to dry off after tennis practices. On the other hand, Yukari wasn't as fortunate.
"I can't believe this," she muttered darkly, struggling to wring out as much water from her clothes. "How am I supposed to walk around like this? This is ridiculous. People are going to stare at me all day."
Hamuko could see her point. Yukari looked like she had swam out of a swimming pool and was getting some unsavory stares from her frequent admirers. Wondering what she could do to help her friend in need, Hamuko came up with an idea as she pulled out something else from her locker.
"Yukari, try this on," Hamuko said to her. It was Hamuko's regular uniform that she had worn the first few months of the school year.
"Are you sure?" Yukari questioned, looking at the outfit appraisingly. She didn't seem overly excited at the idea. "I'm not even sure what your size is."
"Better than going around dripping wet and catching a cold though, right?" Hamuko tried her best not to be too smug, but couldn't resist and added, "Plus, you're shorter than I am."
"I'm barely shorter than you," Yukari snarled, and snatched the clothes from Hamuko's hands. "I'll be right back. Make sure to wait for me so we can go to class together."
Hamuko nodded and barely kept her face straight as she watched Yukari stalk off towards the bathroom near the end of the corridor. Shortly after, a commotion commenced from across the hallway that caught the attention of everyone within the immediate vicinity. Chihiro Fushimi, the treasurer of the student council, was getting berated by other students who seemed convinced that she had done something wrong.
"I just got yelled at because the school says I didn't pay my materials fee," an impertinent guy said, pointing an accusing finger at Chihiro. "You were supposed to be in charge of turning the money in for our class to the teacher. What did you do with the money?"
Chihiro looked aghast, staring at the ground in front of her and nervously said, "I-I gave the money to the teacher."
"Look, we know you took it," he replied, brushing her off. "Why don't you just admit you look the money? Everyone at this school knows that you're poor, so obviously you did it."
Looking on the verge of tears, Chihiro fervently shook her head. "I wouldn't do such a thing."
"If that's the case why are you acting so guilty?" a girl from the same group said. "You aren't even looking at us when you say you didn't do anything wrong. Well, whatever. I don't see why they let some poor trash like you in charge of the money. Everyone is going to know you're a thief soon enough."
The group of angry students dispersed, leaving a clearly shaken Chihiro in their wake as she staggered away from the scene. Everyone who had gathered to watch the morbid spectacle went back to whatever they were doing, acting as if nothing at all happened. Hamuko felt sorry for the bespectacled girl, since Chihiro seemed like a nice enough girl during student council meetings, but it was well known through the school that she came from a poor family. Moreover, Chihiro was rather shy and really taking the time to get to know her seemed like a chore. With a sense of resignation, Hamuko decided pragmatically that there was someone better suited to take care of this conflict. The best idea she could think of was to tell Mitsuru about the situation and let her take care of it since she could use her influence to figure out the truth. Any further thoughts of Chihiro left Hamuko's mind as Yukari came back into view after changing into Hamuko's clothes. Her friend's favorite heart-shaped choker was the only point of distinction in her outfit now as she now conformed easily to the rest of the student body. Yukari looked thoroughly uncomfortable as she awkwardly swung her arms back and forth walking with an odd gait towards Hamuko. It could be worse, Hamuko thought to herself. Or maybe not.
"How do I look, Hamuko?" she asked, in a measured tone. "It feels a bit stuffy, to be honest. I forgot how long the regular school skirts were. How do you deal with the lack of motion?"
"You look fine, Yukari," Hamuko said, deliberately trying to not look too closely. "And I guess the school skirts are just something you get used to after a while. Let's get going before we're late."
"Oh, alright," Yukari replied, not sounding completely convinced with Hamuko's answer. She quickly picked up her bag and caught up to Hamuko.
"Hmm, it fits you reasonably well," Hamuko said later on. Correctly ascertaining that Yukari wanted more of an explanation on how she looked. "If I didn't know you personally, I would've thought that they were your own clothes. I guess that means we have similar sizes in clothing."
"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say that, Hamuko," Yukari intoned, almost whimsically.
Hamuko gave her friend a polite, puzzled look.
"Your clothes are a little bit tight on the chest," Yukari added, answering her unsaid question causing Hamuko to roll her eyes as they headed toward class.
(Iwatodai Dormitory Entrance, After School)
Hamuko P.O.V.
The rain finally tapered off as Yukari and Hamuko left school shortly after classes ended because Mitsuru had dropped by earlier at lunch to say that the Chairman would be at the dorm this afternoon for an important meeting with everyone. As the dorm came into view, they saw Fuuka outside playing with an unfamiliar white dog of medium-build with distinctive red-colored eyes. The dog had its right paw extended into Fuuka's palm who seemed to be enjoying herself.
"Oh, you two are back." Fuuka said in greeting as she noticed their approach.
"Wow, what a cute dog!" Yukari exclaimed, clearly enamored. "He looks adorable. Can I pet him?"
"Sure, go say hi," Fuuka told the dog. Amazingly, the dog walked towards Yukari and Hamuko and sat down in front of them wagging its tail cheerfully as it looked up at the two of them.
Yukari had no qualms around animals it seemed and she gently scratched behind the dog's ears, which closed its eyes in contentment. For Hamuko, this simply wasn't the case as she didn't particularly like animals, especially those that looked like they may be a stray. After all, the dog in front of her had no collar and that sent all sorts of red flags popping into Hamuko's head. Hamuko nervously shifted back a step, turning to Fuuka and said, "This dog isn't yours right? Where's he from?"
"He was walking down the street by himself and followed me back to the dorm," Fuuka replied, giving Hamuko a curious look.
A nosy woman in her late thirties, with short hair wearing a white shirtdress with an orange collar over a long-sleeved shirt interrupted their conversation. "This dog used to belong to the priest at Naganaki Shrine. The two of them used to always go down this street together for walks."
"What do you mean used to?" Yukari asked curiously.
"The priest died in an accident while he was walking with his dog," the woman said.
"That's terrible," Fuuka said quietly.
"Yes, it's rather unfortunate," the woman continued, and Hamuko saw that she clearly loved to talk with a captive audience. "The dog however, continues to visit the spot where his owner's accident occurred on these walks, maybe because they remind him of the past. Oh, I think the priest named him Koromaru. He was always telling Koromaru to slow down on their walks when they passed by here."
"Wow, what a loyal dog," Fuuka said, sounding awed by the dog's loyalty. "So, your name is Koro-chan?"
The dog barked in affirmation. Shortly after, the woman who had told them the story about the priest left, mentioning that she needed to get home before her son did. Koromaru left the three girls as well, heading in the direction where the shrine was.
"You didn't really seem to like Koro-chan, Hamuko," Yukari teased, giving her a gentle nudge on the ribs with an elbow. "And he was so cute too!"
"Do you not like dogs, Hamuko-chan?" Fuuka added, getting directly to the truth of the matter.
"No, it isn't that," Hamuko said defensively, wondering why she had to suddenly explain herself. "Well, I just don't like animals in general."
In reaction to her statement, Fuuka giggled and Yukari choked a laugh away.
Hamuko felt a twinge of embarrassment and retorted, "It isn't that funny, you know."
"Sorry, Hamuko," Yukari replied earnestly. "It's just that I've always found you to be fearless, but learning that you're scared of dogs is a surprise. I think it's sort of cute that our leader can be taken down by a litter of puppies."
"Yeah, I suppose," Hamuko replied unenthused, her lip curling. She decided to try to think of a way to change the topic at hand. "Anyhow, where are the others? I thought the meeting was supposed to be today after school."
"Oh, I forgot to mention it because I got distracted by Koro-chan," Fuuka said in a bit of an embarrassed tone. "The meeting is still going to be today, but later in the evening. Akihiko-senpai stopped by the dormitory just before you two arrived and told me that he was going to the hospital to check up on Minato-kun who should be fine now."
"That's great news," Yukari said. "It's really about time too."
"I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to fight again," Hamuko concurred. It had been such a long time since Minato had gotten himself injured. She could be forgiven for forgetting the fact that he would eventually rejoin the war against the Shadows. Though, she wondered how he would handle fighting again after such an extended layoff. Even after getting to know him a little better, she still thought he tended to be a bit temperamental and rather enigmatic. To Hamuko's surprise, Fuuka seemed uncomfortable after sharing the news with them. "Is something wrong, Fuuka?"
"Uh, no it's nothing," she replied vaguely. "It's just that since I joined S.E.E.S., I've noticed that Mitsuru-senpai and Minato-kun don't seem to really get along. It worries me that there just seems to be a lot of tension in the team and they seem to be a major cause of it. Do either of you know if something happened between the two of them?"
"Mitsuru and Minato not getting along? That's an understatement, Fuuka," Yukari said grimly. "I mean, I don't feel that comfortable around Mitsuru either, but the way she treats Minato is unbelievable these days. Sure, he can be lackadaisical at times, but I don't think he really means any harm. At least, that's the impression I've gotten from him. I'm not sure if you were told all of the circumstances of the previous full moon operations, but he really saved all of us during the monorail incident. That's why it's all the more curious to me that Mitsuru has treated Minato with contempt since then. They seemed to be getting a little bit too well at first and she even donated her blood to him when he was seriously injured, but now it's as if things have completely frozen over between them."
A silence fell over the three as Fuuka and Hamuko tried to absorb everything Yukari had just said. Hamuko envied Yukari's ability to read in between the lines of what was going on. Why had Hamuko not thought of this before? Sure, Hamuko had worried about Minato becoming ostracized from the team in recent weeks, but she had never considered the symptoms of why this was happening. Mitsuru had indeed turned extremely cold toward Minato after the near disaster with the monorail, which made no sense at all now because he had been the hero at the time. It didn't help that Hamuko had agreed with the previous suspension of Minato for his own safety, but Hamuko now realized now that no small part of the decision had been driven by Mitsuru's agenda against Minato for whatever reason. A stomach-churning sense of self-loathing began to circulate in the pit of Hamuko's stomach and circulated as she realized what a dunderhead she had been.
"Couldn't all of this be a misunderstanding though?" Fuuka said, helping to break Hamuko's train of thought. "And shouldn't we at least try to figure out why Mitsuru-senpai and Minato-kun are fighting? I don't think this problem is something that is going to go away on its own, since I remember seeing the news about the monorail accident in the newspaper over a month ago."
"I agree with Fuuka," Yukari said quickly and a bit over enthusiastically. "Something we don't know about must've happened between them. What do you think Hamuko? I really want to get to the bottom of this."
"Well, I'm not against it," Hamuko trying to act like a voice of reason, but falling to peer pressure. "But how would we figure out what's really going on? It isn't like Minato or Mitsuru talk much to begin with, let alone about their personal problems."
"I don't think it would hurt to ask them though," Fuuka said thoughtfully.
"I'll talk to Minato then!" Yukari interjected. "You can talk to Mitsuru, Hamuko."
"Hey, that isn't exactly fair!" Hamuko would've much preferred to talk to Minato since she usually did that anyways. The prospect of an unsolicited conversation with Mitsuru was not something she would ever volunteer for. Mitsuru was always busy it seemed whether it be with fencing club, student council, reading a book, her father's company, the list could go on and on.
"You should've said so sooner then," Yukari said teasingly. "Besides, Mitsuru likes you more than me or Fuuka. She made you the leader after all."
"Not that again," Hamuko muttered darkly.
"Well, it's decided then," Fuuka said cheerfully. "Any idea on how soon we'll want to do this?"
"Let's at least wait until the meeting with the Chairman is over," Yukari replied, as the three of them walked back into the dorm to wait for the arrival of the others later that evening.
(Tatsumi Memorial Hospital Office, Afternoon)
Ikutsuki P.O.V.
"I do not believe that I can delay him any longer," Mitsuru said without prelude to Ikutsuki who had closed the door behind her. There was a stoic air around her as she sat down, but Ikutsuki knew that underneath that calm exterior she was thoroughly concerned.
"Yes, I would agree, Mitsuru," Ikutsuki said, trying his best to hide his impatience at the stubborn girl's insistence that Minato was some kind of spy. Her trailing the boy like a bloodhound had been beneficial to Ikutsuki as he continued his plans for the Fall uninhibited, but at the same time her persistence was no longer helping. After all, Minato had turned out to be a far more valuable asset than Ikutsuki had been initially led to believe. His actions had prevented the monorail incident from being a disaster, which would've led to unwanted national attention into the investigation of the monorail incident. Furthermore, Minato seemed to hold greater potential than at first glance as Ikutsuki had learned previously from Mitsuru that he managed to summon a different Persona. Ikutsuki was definitely intrigued by him to say the least.
"Have you found any evidence that would substantiate my theory, Chairman?" Mitsuru asked.
Ikutsuki waited for a second so he could carefully choose his words and said, "From my own careful observations I have not found any reason for you to associate Minato being a spy of any kind. To be utterly frank Mitsuru, I think that he just wants to prove himself and you aren't giving him an opportunity to do so. His fighting abilities may seem to be subpar at first glance, but I would say that his instincts under heavy duress are quite remarkable. Besides, you should remember that I only went along with your decision to extend his time off the battlefield so that we could monitor him more closely. Now that time has passed I have found nothing abnormal. Quite the opposite in fact, as he seems earnest in his studies and keeps engaged with the other members even though he wasn't directly engaged with field operations in such a long time."
Mitsuru seemed to stiffen slightly at his response and replied, "What about the previous evidence such as knowing where the location of the Shadow attack would be and knowing how to stop the monorail?"
"There are logical explanations to both points," Ikutsuki said in a serious tone. "If I remember correctly, you said that Minato gave multiple locations at the time. While in bad humor, I do not believe it was anything more than that. Furthermore, with respect to stopping the train I'm sure it was more lucky coincidence than anything else."
Mitsuru seemed to quiet down at his response to her circumstantial evidence. Ikutsuki felt she was truly her father's daughter, and not in a good way. Both of them were too narrow-minded about the big picture and abnormally fixated on minute issues. She was all too predictable in the fact that she wanted to protect the other members of the team to the level of being detrimental as evidenced by her withholding her family's involvement in the picture. What Ikutsuki saw was simple; Minato was useful, and a scientist would never throw out a variable that could work in their favor during an experiment.
"I suppose you are right," Mitsuru finally said, rather resignedly. "We should get back to the dormitory for the meeting that you requested."
"Yes, of course," Ikutsuki replied evenly and adding a subtle prod. "I think now that it would be appropriate if we congratulated Minato on a successful return from injury. Would you not agree, Mitsuru?"
(Iwatodai Dormitory Control Room, Evening)
Ikutsuki P.O.V.
"But no matter what, we still have to beat the rest of them," Akihiko declared in his typical manner. ""We're already a third of the way there. We can't let anything stop us."
"I agree," Mitsuru said in support of her longtime friend. "That's about all we can do at this point."
Ikutsuki had just finished explaining his theory about the twelve Shadows that appeared only on the days when the moon was full, while carefully leaving out some important points for next time. For now, he had even gone so far to sprinkle in details about the classification schemes of the Shadows so that his story would seem more plausible. Though, that extra step was probably not necessary, he felt excited about sharing his research; even something as mundane as Shadow classification to a group of impressionable teenagers. Judging by the reactions of each of the teenagers Ikutsuki felt there was a general level of consensus to follow through with defeating the remaining eight Arcana Shadows. However, Ikutsuki wasn't someone who would leave things to chance after so many meticulous years of planning and was prepared accordingly. Having foresight, he had been sending periodic packages of suppressants to the three lab rats that had gotten away and decided now was the appropriate time to put the next parts of his plan into action. Every heroic group of fools needed an antagonistic opponent who would help push them towards their goal. Providing such an antithesis to Mitsuru's group would provide Ikutsuki an ideal backdrop to ameliorate any doubts the students had in the justification of their mission. It would take little effort on the Chairman's part to pit the two groups against each other and guarantee the Fall in due time. Thinking about the Fall reminded Ikutsuki that he needed to visit Yakushima Island at some point in the near future to sift through the Ergo Division archives which were inaccessible elsewhere, but he would draw attention to himself if he visited the island for only that reason. He would need a distraction of sorts to keep the nosy Takeharu out of his hair.
Minato P.O.V.
Minato folded his hands together appreciating that he could now use both of his arms freely in the view of everyone else as Ikutsuki continued on with his theatrics about the classification of Shadows. The blue-haired boy internally shook his head in annoyance as he stole a look at Ikutsuki, wondering how he had missed the warnings signs of the Chairman's ulterior motives the first time around. Who else could have their eyes light up that maniacally over how fascinating the Arcana Shadow were? It was expected that everyone in the room seemed relieved to varying degrees since they could now see the faint light that signaled the end of their struggle. Of course, the truth of the matter was far darker, but Minato did not feel the need to interfere. In a twisted kind of way, Minato agreed with Ikutsuki that destroying the twelve monsters was absolutely necessary. His reasons were obviously different than the Chairman who believed he was fulfilling a fatalistic prophecy. For one, Minato knew that leaving any of the major Shadows alive was not advisable because of the mass destruction each entity was capable of. Also, if left unchecked the Arcana Shadow would cause the number of The Lost to increase infinitely bringing the Fall regardless. Both of those problems could be assuaged by defeating the appropriate Shadows during the full moon phase of every month. What concerned him more was how to deal with the people who retained their souls, yet became equally enraptured with longing for their deaths; those that would end up joining the cult started by Strega. This wasn't an issue that could be solved by defeating some Shadows, it was very much an ideological one. What he needed to do was to weaken the grip on people's imaginations about the end of the world when the time came. He remembered how the cult in question had taken up an inordinate number of people into believing that yearning for death and in turn Nyx, was salvation that helped put the city's psyche in shambles. Therefore, Minato figured there was no need to reveal his hand just yet and let things play out until the time was right. Moving prematurely could spell disaster in having to disassociate with S.E.E.S. and work on his own with scant resources. He had invaluable knowledge, but only if things proceeded along a certain path that much was clear to him now.
June 21st, Sunday (Chagall Café, Daytime)
Minato P.O.V.
Suspicion crept to the forefront of his mind, as he sat down in an uncomfortable booth situated a fair distance away from other people, and ordered Pheromone Coffee out of habit more than anything else. The advertised effects of said coffee were dubious at best and Minato wondered how he had become addicted to the sugary taste of the milky concoction. His eyes became unfocused as he stared blankly at the plaid tablecloth that held the residual stains of previous patrons until the sounds of a muffled footstep approaching on the thin carpet broke him out of his reverie.
"Hey, Minato!" Yukari called his name in greeting as she took a seat on the opposite side of the booth. "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me today."
"It's not a problem," Minato said, shrugging nonchalantly as he frequently did. "Not like I have much to do on Sundays. What's up?"
"I just wanted to talk to you about your relationship with Mitsuru? Or lack thereof," she began, causing him to stifle a groan. "I've noticed maybe that things between you two have gotten a lot worse these days. Did something happen?"
"What do you mean, Yukari?" Minato deflected the question because he wasn't really sure what Yukari wanted to hear. He was hoping that she would provide some kind of context at least.
"Well, to put it bluntly ever since the monorail mission she seems increasingly wary around you," Yukari said. "I just get the feeling something must've happened. Am I wrong?"
Minato turned to look around to see if anyone was close enough to eavesdrop and when he was satisfied that no one was within earshot said, "I guess at least that much is true. Honestly though, I don't really understand what her problem is. She may just be predisposed against me for one reason or another."
Yukari seemed to chew on his words a bit as the tone of the conversation seemed to change. "So, you haven't really done anything to make her hate you? I have a hard time believing that, but if that's the case it sounds like the way she's treating you is really one-sided."
He decided then and there that it wouldn't hurt to put Yukari on the right track with finding out more about Tartarus. She would figure out soon enough that Mitsuru was holding back critical information form the majority of the group about the past and Minato could stand to benefit if he indirectly prodded Yukari in the right direction. Building genuine trust with her was probably impossible until the trip to Yakushima, but laying the foundation could probably start now.
"Well… I'm a bit hesitant to say this, but hear me out, Yukari," Minato explained. "Don't you think it's a bit odd that we know so little about Tartarus or the Dark Hour? Sure, Shadows seem to be the enemy of mankind as Mitsuru would say, but where did they come from? It isn't like anyone has told us why we have to fight, only that we must. We've been spoon-fed only a few details and we're expected to just go along with everything?"
"Yeah, I agree," Yukari replied, nodding in agreement and leaning forward a bit in her seat. "I find it incredulous that Mitsuru seems to get uncomfortable whenever anyone is talking about Tartarus or the Dark Hour. She gets completely quiet and looks away as if something is bothering her, it couldn't be any more obvious. But, now that you brought it up, is there anything you know that she hasn't told us about Tartarus or maybe even about the Kirijo Group?"
This was his chance to lead her on the correct path, Minato thought. "Sorry, I don't know any more than you do about Tartarus," Minato said. "About the Kirijo Group, I think it's good for us to remember that everything on this island is owned by the Kirijo and that we shouldn't really take anything they tell us at face value. I'm not sure you know, but the Kirijo Group is a ruthless conglomerate and I find it weird as to why they would be willing to spend their own resources in fighting the Dark Hour. Why do they fight the Dark Hour when it impacts everyone equally around the world? The only explanation I can think of is that they have something to hide."
"We don't really have much of a choice in other sources of information besides Mitsuru and the Chairman, Minato," Yukari said, her expression indicating she seemed somewhat skeptical of his explanation. "There's just way too much we don't know at this point. Though, I do agree to a certain extent that the Kirijo Group wouldn't willingly support us unless they had ulterior motives. I mean, why are they so focused in helping to get rid of the Dark Hour when only such a few people know that it even exists? And sending us in when we're just a bunch of untrained teenagers even with the power of Persona is risky. Do you have any ideas on what exactly they might be trying to hide? You seem to know more about the Kirijo Group than the average person."
"It's mere speculation without knowing more," Minato said, trying to be careful to not push too hard. "I think we really are the only ones capable of sucessfully fighting the Shadows. After all, Mitsuru is the only Kirijo heir and it would be a disaster for them if something happened to her. Putting her life at risk in fighting against the Dark Hour isn't something I think would be done unless absolutely necessary. Oh well, that's just my opinion."
"So, since we seem to be on the same boat, would you make a promise to tell me if you find out anything else about the Dark Hour or the Kirijo Group, please?" Yukari asked earnestly giving him an intense glance that made him feel like she could almost see right through him. She obviously didn't really trust him fully yet, as evidenced by the slightly perturbed look on her face. Still, she seemed willing to believe his information; at least more than Mitsuru's or Ikutsuki's anyways.
"Of course, you don't even need to ask. I was going to do that anyways." It wasn't like Minato would be able to refuse her when she was putting herself out like this. Part of him wondered if he had gone overboard and if this was going to work out as he wanted, only time would tell.
Yukari seemed reasonably happy with his answer as she gave him a wan smile. "I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that thought we've been kept in the dark about things. I mean, it's crazy that we've already gone through four of those Arcana Shadows without a clear explanation as to why the Dark Hour and Tartarus even exist in the first place."