A/N: Here's another chapter. For this one I decided to mix up some Social Link elements that lead into a scene from the game. If you're hoping to see some action with the Emperor and Empress Shadows, worry not, it will be happening within the next two chapters.
As always, hope you enjoy it.
If anything about joining the Student Council as Mitsuru's assistant surprised Minato, it was how quickly and easily his mindset about the job and all its responsibilities had changed. He had sworn to himself on the first day of school that he would not engage in any activities that attracted attention. Junpei had warned him to steer clear of anything at school that involved their high profile dorm mates. And yet, here he was in the Student Council meeting room, doing the things he had tried to avoid doing.
Well, he supposed that his duties of forwarding emails, compiling notes and attending meetings weren't so bad. Any sort of preparation for a real job was always welcome and he'd heard Mitsuru stress this to Akihiko enough times for the concept to be embedded in his mind. It was only when the duties began to entail the additional perk of being a makeshift psychiatrist for almost everyone in the school, that Minato began to question why he hadn't given her offer, and its consequences, some more serious thought.
Oh he had a vague idea of what would happen once word got out but, never would he have thought that enduring all the constant hounding and visits by students, some of which he hadn't even met before, would be this dreadful. They came to him in all shapes and sizes, and all different kinds of quirks, with issues that ranged from relationships to advice on future career options. It was, at first, something that occurred perhaps twice during a student council session. These initial appointments sounded legitimate and were serious enough to make him think it would help make him look better amongst the student body. He was already disliked by at least half the school so a few good deeds couldn't hurt right?
Wrong.
Not long after the first few appointments, he began to notice an increase in the frequency of these visits and before he knew it, there would be students queuing up in the hallway, all eager to share their life story. He could not quite fathom why he was sought out like this, and before the school's guidance counsellor, but it was apparently, as his clients put it, because he'd lived in other parts of Japan (information someone managed to learn off from a glance at his profile) and thus, would have a better perspective on these things. A fair assumption but when you were listening to someone's breakup story for nineteenth time, it was hard to have any perspective at all.
These students however, were less than half of the annoyance. What made him want to travel back in time and kick himself for not trying to decline Mitsuru's offer, and resist her charm, was her respective fan club: The Guardians of the Kirijo Heiress. An unusual group comprised of both nerds and jocks who wanted nothing more than to ensure Mitsuru belonged to no one else but them. Their visits were erratic and random but even so, Minato knew they were always watching him with the eyes of a hawk. Watching his behaviour and how he handled himself around the Student Council President. The fact that they had yet to do anything serious was a double edged sword; the time bomb hadn't exploded yet but it was still ticking. He didn't know which end of the spectrum he'd rather be in but, in order to make as little fuss as possible, he continued to go about his responsibilities with a cool head and tried to focus on the tasks at hand.
Which would have been easy if it weren't for the fact that his colleagues were just as crazy. Dealing with them was a battle in itself. And it all started the moment he tried to ask Fushimi Chihiro, the Treasurer, for copies of this month's financial records. The girl, who he had thought was able to communicate well given her stature, never failed to freeze up and stutter the moment he was within a couple of paces. Minato knew it was one thing to be shy but her being unable to even look at him, let alone talk to him, was an obstacle that hindered any means of working efficiently.
Frustrated, Minato had then decided to seek help from the head of the Disciplinary Committee, Odagiri Hidetoshi, whom he had assumed would be on good terms with Chihiro as she did not seem to shudder anywhere near as much when being addressed by him. But like a tale in which things happen conveniently because fate is fate, Minato could never find a suitable time to ask Hidetoshi, for the disciplinarian was always patrolling the school on his obsessive crusade to find out who was responsible for leaving a cigarette butt in the boys' washroom. When Minato did find the time, he was met with a cutting look that made him feel as if he were the guilty one. Reassuring Hidetoshi that he was most definitely not the culprit involved several days of enduring his interrogations as well as the questions raised by those who unofficially claimed themselves as Mitsuru's guardians. It took many minutes of swallowing retorts, suppressing the whirls of his Personas, and an intervention by Mitsuru herself to clear the misunderstanding. And where had that gotten him? Right back at square one. Go figure.
Scribbling his signature on yet another document, Minato placed it onto his completed stack related to school affairs and reached for another. The work was methodical: read, interpret, make any notes, sign and move on. But when life was already so chaotic, a little monotony was welcome. In fact, it was especially enjoyable when the documents were related to S.E.E.S. Any more information he could gather would help him understand the purpose of his real job – fighting Shadows – and more importantly, who and what was responsible for Fuuka's disappearance.
As he skimmed through the next document, one which detailed the demolishment of the courtyard in the west wing of the school, and did what needed to be done with it, he reached towards the much shorter and more interesting stack of documents. But before he could lay a hand on them, he heard the shuffle of footsteps and several voices emanating from outside the room.
Male voices.
Minato sighed and kept his eyes fixated on the papers in front of him as the door to the room slid open. He did not have to look up to know what they had come here for. There was only one reason anybody bothered to visit the Student Council headquarters at this time of the hour. He shot a quick glance at the three males approaching him and tried to suppress a groan.
Far out, here come the Guardians of the Kirijo Heiress.
"There you are!" the student in the middle said. He then turned to his friend on the left. "See, I told you Arisato would be here."
"Where else would I be?" Minato replied, casually lifting his gaze off his papers to inspect the new arrivals. The student who had spoken was fairly tall, and wore a pair of glasses that was obviously for the sake of fashion. His companions would have been unremarkable if it weren't for their muscular build, and looked to be the type of people who were happy to follow orders and not question why. "Now that everyone knows where I am after school, I'm surprised you three had doubts." He leaned back in his chair and frowned. Something about the spectacled student seemed familiar. "So, which one of you will be the first to waste my time?"
The middle student laughed in that smug manner Minato had experienced more times than he could count. "Oh, we're not here to bore you with our life stories. We were just wandering if you know where Kirijo-sama is."
"Why do you need to know that?" Minato asked.
"There is something important regarding- Wait, why am I elaborating? It's really none of your business. The point is, do you know where she is?"
"Well I could tell you but since you guys aren't part of the Student Council, it's really none of your business." Minato curled his lips in an amused smile as he watched the middle student try and contain his rage.
"Look Arisato," the middle student said, after composing himself and gesturing for his companions to flank Minato, "we can do this two ways. One where you stop shitting with me and cooperate or another where we beat the answer out of you. Which do you prefer?"
Minato looked at the two burly students, who were readying their fists, then turned his attention on the spectacled student. "I think I'll take the third option where you guys leave this room and I can go back to my duties. That seem fair? Besides, you guys should be able to find Mitsuru-senpai on your own. It'd be weird if you couldn't since you're always at her heels."
"D-did you just say her name?" the middle student said, his eyes widening and his scowl deepening in...anger? Jealousy? Contempt? It looked to be a combination of the three and the image made his face so crooked it reminded Minato of Hidetoshi's eternal scowl.
"Uh, I think so? Her name is Mitsuru-senpai right?" Minato replied with a blank look. As he met their stares of shock and disbelief, it occurred to him that this spectacled student was the same one who approached him on that day Mitsuru had come by his classroom.
"You should watch your mouth Arisato," the middle student snarled. "Kirijo-sama deserves the highest respect and it is only right if she is addressed as such. You of all people should know this. You... work... with her."
The student's last statement had such a bitter taste to it that for a moment, Minato felt some sympathy towards the fellow. Throwing a fit because things could not go his way. Minato decided it was probably a good time to stop the tormenting but then remembered that they were the ones who had disturbed him. Annoyed him every now and then. Hated him for something that was completely out of his control. With this in mind, Minato knew that any sort of mutual understanding or respect would be impossible.
So there's only one thing to say.
"You're right, she does deserve the highest respect," Minato said. "But, Mitsuru-senpai did give me...permission if you'd like, to call her by her first name."
"That's a lie!" the spectacled student said, eyes widening. "There's no way she would allow a transfer student to do that!"
Minato shrugged. "You can think and believe whatever you want. I don't care. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like you all to leave." He stood up and tried to position himself away from their pincer formation but the two burly students continued to flank him.
"Oh, don't think you're getting off so easily," the spectacled student said. He then darted forward and grabbed Minato by his collar. "We're not leaving here until we get what we want."
"Well that's too bad then."
"Heh, you really have no idea what you're getting yourself into Arisato."
"Actually, I disagree," Minato said, removing the student's hand from his collar and taking a few steps back. "I have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting into. I think you guys have no idea."
Minato watched the flustered student in front of him nod to his lackeys but before it could escalate, the door to the room slid open again and Hidetoshi strode in.
"So Arisato, have you found any new leads?" Hidetoshi asked before stopping in his tracks as he saw the spectacle before him.
Minato. And a suspicious group of boys that looked as though they were being questioned. Hidetoshi grinned and his scowl disappeared. Somewhat.
"You did a better job than I expected Arisato," Hidetoshi said. I'll take it from here." Before anyone could object, he pointed at the three students and commanded, "You three, in my office, NOW!"
"Wait a sec–" the spectacled student began.
"No waiting! To my interrogation room immediately! I know one of you left that cigarette butt in the bathroom so don't even think about trying to lie to me!"
Minato smirked as he watched the nuisances leave with the disciplinarian. If there was one mutual agreement among the whole of Gekkoukan, it was that nobody spoke back to Hidetoshi. Doing so would be asking for your death sentence. Even if half the school knew he was not much of a brawler.
A Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card courtesy of Odagiri Hidetoshi Minato thought. Never thought I'd see that happen.
Minato turned back to his papers but looked at the door for he felt a stare. It was the student with the glasses.
"What now?" he asked.
"You got lucky this time," he hissed. "But next time, we'll settle this the old fashioned way. In the ring. Nobody ever says Kirijo-sama's first name. Ever." He then grunted as, Minato presumed, Hidetoshi yanked his arm and dragged him towards the interrogation office.
A fight in the ring? With him? Minato could already see the fight being one sided but he had a hunch that the fight would not be fair at all. It would, he thought, likely include the student's companions as they looked they were members of Gekkoukan's boxing club, with their muscular build and heavy fists. He sighed, before realising Akihiko probably knew them. And their weaknesses. Another smile splashed onto his face but as soon as he heard more footsteps approaching the room, that smile quickly evaporated.
Can I ever catch a break?
He returned to his seat and picked up a document to read, hoping that whoever was coming would just be one of those who stared at him from afar. He had already endured enough nonsense for one day and his level of tolerance was rapidly declining. But when he heard the clicks and clacks of heels on the tiled floor, his temper cooled down. By quite a fair margin. He adjusted his uniform, ensuring that all signs pointing towards the beginning of a scuffle were erased, and watched as Mitsuru entered the room.
With another girl Minato did not recognise.
The girl's tan complexion and long, dark orange hair contrasted Mitsuru's pale complexion and red hair, and if it weren't for the fact that she looked as if she just committed a major crime, Minato would have thought the girl decent looking.
"Arisato," Mitsuru greeted.
"Mitsuru-senpai," Minato said in return, disappointed that her usual smile was replaced with a serious look. He supposed it had something to do with the unfamiliar face and gestured at the other girl. "Who is this?"
"This is Moriyama Natsuki," Mitsuru replied, looking at the girl who seemed to be muttering to herself. "She's in the same class as Yamagishi and has confessed to be one of the girls behind the bullying." Mitsuru then looked at him. "Are you available now? I'm going to sort this out with Ekoda-sensei and would like you to come along."
Minato nodded. "Sure. I was just about to finish up here anyway."
"Tres bien. In that case, let's go."
Mitsuru led Natsuki out of the room and Minato followed them. The corridors of the school were almost empty now, given that the final classes of the day had ended a little over an hour ago. There were still a few students roaming around but luckily, none of them paid any attention to him as he walked and talked with Mitsuru.
"So how did you know it was her?" Minato asked.
"Well, after Iori told his ghost story," Mitsuru replied, "Akihiko and I decided to look into the origins of the rumour. After questioning some students who posted that message on the board, we eventually learned that all this nonsense about ghosts and whatnot was a cover up by Natsuki. She thought it would be an appropriate ploy to mislead people with all the supernatural happenings but, as you can see, it appears she is also a victim."
Mitsuru gestured for him to inspect Natsuki and, turning his head, Minato could see she was still shaking and mumbling incomprehensible words.
"She looks to me like one of the Lost," Minato said as they descended the flight of stairs leading to a hallway on the first floor. He looked back to Mitsuru who was not surprised. "Do you maybe think the Shadows have affected her in any way?"
"It's possible. But until we hear her testify what exactly she was doing to Yamagishi, we can't be certain."
Minato nodded, considering whether now was the right time to explain where Fuuka really was. Before he could make a decision however, a door to his right opened and out stepped that same student who assaulted him earlier. The student opened his mouth to speak as he watched them walk past but the door shut in his face and Minato could hear Hidetoshi yelling that the interrogation was not over.
"I wonder what's gotten Odagiri so agitated," Mitsuru commented as they passed the interrogation office. "I've never heard him shout like that before."
"Oh I just found him some suspects who may have left that cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom," Minato said, stifling the grin that so badly wanted to form on his face.
"Is that so?" Mitsuru said, smiling at Minato's oddly jovial tone. When Minato nodded, she continued, "Well good work. The sooner we can clear that up the better. He's been obsessed with that issue for so long now that I'm starting to wonder if he's been keeping up with his other duties."
Unable to bear the twitching of his cheek muscles, Minato let the grin break out. He could feel her eyes on him, and knew she was confused as to what could be so amusing but it was impossible to not at least smile at those students' misfortune. If only she really knew the truth of it all.
Once they arrived (Minato with his composure regained) and entered the staff room, they found Ekoda-sensei, the homeroom teacher of Class 2-E, at his desk eating a cup of instant noodles. He had a typical Japanese look about him, wore a typical gray business suit with a style similar to that of Ikutsuki, and looked up at the new arrivals with slight suspicion.
"Mitsuru?" Ekoda said. "Natsuki? And, I'm terribly sorry but, who are you again?"
Minato opened his mouth to reply but at that moment, his homeroom teacher, Toriumi-sensei, spoke up. She had short light brown hair in a style that mimicked Yukari's, dark grey eyes and wore cream colored business attire.
"That's Arisato Minato," she answered, packing her belongings into her handbag. "Honestly Ekoda, I'm surprised you still don't recognize him. He scored the highest on the midterm exams that were held a few weeks ago."
"Is that so? Well forgive me for not knowing. I've seen so many students come and go it's hard to remember each and every face," Ekoda replied sourly.
Toriumi stood up, scoffed at him, and left the room, greeting Yukari and Junpei who entered in her wake.
"Hey there you are," Yukari said as she and Junpei approached Minato. "You know, we thought you'd be a lot easier to find since you said you'd be in the Student Council room."
"Yeah dude, we were supposed to meet up," Junpei added.
Minato shrugged. "Mitsuru-senpai had the same idea. One thing led to another and here we are."
Mitsuru inclined her head in greeting at Yukari and Junpei, and Minato noticed Yukari's expression darken before shifting to one of realization as the brunette studied Natsuki.
"Well how about that," Ekoda said. "Everyone wants to see me today."
"Enough pleasantries Ekoda-sensei," Mitsuru said, folding her arms. "We're here to ask you about a student named Yamagishi Fuuka."
The moment she finished speaking, Natsuki placed her hands on her face. "No! I-I never thought it'd turn out like this. Fuuka..."
"What did you do to Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked. Her sharp tone reminded Minato once again of Hidetoshi.
I wonder if he's finished interrogating those suckers.
"Hold on Mitsuru. This isn't an interrogation," Ekoda interrupted. He turned to Natsuki. "Natsuki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea."
"N-No it's f-fine. I'll e-explain," Natsuki said. She took a deep breath. "Fuuka she...she always looked so frazzled whenever I gave her a hard time. Then I realized that deep inside, she's the same as us. I knew exactly which buttons to push. So on the twenty-ninth of May, we took Fuuka to the gym and...and locked the door from the outside."
Yukari gasped. Junpei opened his mouth but no words came out. Minato studied Natsuki and glanced at Mitsuru, who gestured for Natsuki to continue.
"That night," Natsuki continued, "Maki, one of my friends, returned to school alone. She was afraid we'd get in trouble if Fuuka committed suicide. But Maki, she...she never came back and..."
"And she was found lying on the ground by the gate," Yukari finished for her.
Natsuki nodded. "I went to the gym to let Fuuka out but when we went inside, she wasn't there. We all freaked out. So starting that night, we all went looking for her and decided to spread rumors about ghosts and stuff so that we wouldn't be caught for making Fuuka disappear. But every night, another one of us went missing...and they each ended up like Maki! "
She stopped speaking as tears began to trickle from her eyes.
"I see," Mitsuru said, before turning to Ekoda. "By the way Ekoda-sensei, all this time you've attributed Yamagishi's absences to 'illness'. But in reality, she was missing. You must have been aware of that so what was your intention?"
Ekoda swallowed hard. "I-I was thinking of the students of course. You children may not understand but we have to consider the future of everyone affected."
"You mean, you chose not to report this to the police for the 'good of the class?'" Mitsuru replied, narrowing her eyes.
"It-it was in her best interest. I wouldn't want her records to be stained by something like this. Her parents agree!"
"So to protect your career, you ignored your responsibility as a teacher? How despicable!"
Minato watched as Ekoda, a teacher who thought his ego bigger than his pay check would allow, cowered and stuttered in front of Mitsuru. He was once again impressed.
"I-I didn't. I was just-," Ekoda started before he quickly grabbed his belongings and exited the room.
"Whoa. Mitsuru-senpai. That was awesome," Junpei said, nudging Yukari. "Don't ya think so too Yuka-tan?"
Yukari scoffed and ignored him.
Mitsuru also ignored him and placed a hand on Natsuki's shoulder. "About your friends Moriyama, did you notice anything unusual before the incidents? Anything at all?"
"They...They all heard a voice," Natsuki replied. "A creepy voice, right before each of them went missing. They said it was calling their name." And she buried her face back in her hands.
Mitsuru looked up at the others and moved towards them.
"It's them isn't it?" Minato said quietly.
"I'm afraid so," Mitsuru said, nodding. "I wasn't sure of how or why some people, not Persona-users, are conscious during the Dark Hour. But, now I know it's not a random phenomenon. It's their voice. It hypnotizes people and draws them in." She turned to Natsuki. "Stay at our dorm tonight. It's the safest place. And don't leave no matter what. If you can do that much you should be okay."
Natsuki nodded.
Mitsuru turned her attention back to the others. "As soon as you get back, wait in the command room. We're going to discuss tonight's operation."