They quickly returned from the Desert of Times, laying Minako down on the sofa. Fuuka checked her health and pulse, only to be surprised that she couldn't sense any pulse or other sounds from her heart. Her body shook even more upon realizing Minako's current state.

"Yamagishi, is she...?" Mitsuru asked, her tone filled with worry. Her face appeared more tense than usual.

Fuuka could only shake her head, her expression filled with panic and anxiety.

"I…. I cannot sense her pulse, or anything relate to her heart! I'm sorry…I couldn't do anything…." Fuuka shouted, her tear flowing down on her cheek.

Hopelessness filled the minds of everyone in the dorm. They realized about her true nature but joining the investigation with her. She had never been hostile to them. Even when threatened by them, she didn't actually hate for their doing and gladly to stay with them. Even that, they couldn't do anything for her. Her issue was a lot more than they could imagine.

Her sense of humanity was beginning to slip away with each passing moment, even here. They observed her eyes becoming empty, and a hollow expression settling on her face. Though she tried to conceal it from them, they realized they were nothing to help as long as they couldn't find the solution.

"So, she is a not human from the start like she said before. Sigh…" Yukari mumbled.

"Yuka-tan…" Junpei sadly said.

Akihiko looked at Minako with extremely worry. Deep down, he knew he never met her.

Why did he even care about her? Nyx was still their nemesis, even she's not their Nyx in their world. Besides, he was not actually her boyfriend, the other him was trying to help her anyways. Perhaps that's the difference between them or because of their naiveness. They were still the same person after all.

While the others took care of Minako, Akihiko saw something on the floor, she might left it without knowing.

It's jewelry, wind-up music box. It's a music box could store something small in there. He wondered curiously if the other him was the one who brought it to her. He couldn't imagine himself, buying to anyone.

"Akihiko-san, what's the-" Aigis interrupted Akihiko before seeing the music box.

"Oh! Aigis…. It's nothing. I just found Minako's things here. It looks cute and gentle. Maybe it's a present from the other me." he said, feeling envious of the other him. He found his own happiness while he himself was still being wandering in his endless ways.

"It's beautiful… " Ken pleased.

"Wait a minute! I have ever seen it before. It came from Iwatodai Station Strip Mall, didn't it?." Yukari noted, feeling cherished.

Mitsuru rubbed her forehead with curiosity about the other Akihiko.

"I never thought I have to imagine that part in my mind. But…Akihiko buys this cute music box? I can't figure out myself. Hehe.." Mitsuru funnily giggled.

"Come on guys… it's the other me.!" Akihiko protested from himself with annoyed face.

"Then should we play this? I know it's Minako-san's, she may be angry with us if we open it without permission, but I want to hear what type of music is in it." Ken said.

"Ken… Why are you…" Junpei doubted.

"Hey! I just wanna listen it, got it!" Ken shouted, turning back with embarrassed look.

"Well… I'll wind up the music box then." Aigis volunteered.

Everyone in the dorm silently nodded and waiting for Agis to wind up the music box.

They felt uncertain about why they needed to listen to this music box so much, what the point of it for being here in the first place. Did she bring it here or not? They didn't know.

But they slipped all of doubt out of their mind. Agis began to wind up. And the music was played.

This song... it was so nostalgic. It brought back a lot of happy memories for them. The bonds they had created with each other, fighting Nyx and finding the meaning of life. It was so important to them that they couldn't forget it. If not for Minato, they would never have overcome their past and worked through their trauma.

Akihiko was reminded of Minako as a Miki for a second after hearing the song. Her kindness, cheerfulness and playfulness were reminiscent of her. He missed Shinjiro and Miki so much, wondering every day when he would join them.

But now they were being trapped in here and forced to look upon their past and sticking to do their old things. Being into this shitty place that they never wanted to step in again. It was truly nightmare.

Suddenly, Minako slowly began to awake drowsily and looked around her curiously about their gathering around her.

"Ugh... Hm? Everyone?" Minako dizzily said, looking at them with tired sight..

Everyone felt relieved Minako was being in good health.

"You had us all worried! You idiot!" Akihiko exclaimed, feeling his heart calm down from the tension.

Minako glanced at everyone, feeling warmth and invigoration from them. Koromaru always stayed near her. She smiled and rubbed his head softly before turning her eyes to them again.

"I'm truly sorry. It's just like….. I'm not myself for a while after keeping regain my power. I awoke because of the song."

"Don't be serious about it, Minako. I know you can find a way to regain your own self safely. I trust you." Mitsuru truly smiled, kept encourage Minako.

But Minako was still worried about her emotionless earlier. She couldn't feel any pain or exhaustion in her body.

She began to know that…. The more she tried to regain her power back, the less human she was. She must do something before she'll lose all of her own human emotion.

She turned her head in the direction of the music, recognizing it as the music box that Akihiko gave her during Christmas Eve. It must be this item that had been keeping her from losing herself and preventing her emotions from slipping away, to remind her of the happiest moments in her life.

She was glad the music box also being here with her, picking it immediately.

"So, this is it. You're the one who save me from my unusual self. Your song…keep me back from there." Minako said to the music box, feeling delightful.

"Thank you, Aki." She thanked to Akihiko in her mind, expressing happiness on her face.

"Minako-chan…" Fuuka said quietly.

"It's all right, Fuuka-chan. As long as I have the music box, I'll be able to control to save myself. Please, only cry when you truly need to." Minako said, touching Fuuka's cheek gently, slipped Fuuka's tear away.

"Ah!... Um…" Fuuka slowly hugged Minako.

Minako began to sit on a sofa calmly. Despite her empty eyes, there's a hint of her habits returning, suggesting a slight shift in her emotional state. Meanwhile, the rest of the group engages in discussions about their plans and the ongoing investigation. They would need to be careful about this mission or else, they'll be struck here until they died and Minako's self was being lost to something far more malevolent.

"What're we gonna do next?" Junpei questioned.

"Judging from our current state, what we need to do is to rest for fully recover. We need to end this investigate with fully strength." Metis suggested her idea.

Mitsuru pondered regarding seeing their past through the door they had witnessed.

"We have seen Amada's past, Akihiko's and Iori's… Which means we have only three doors to get through." Mitsuru said.

"You mean…" Ken said quietly.

"Mitsuru-senpai's past, Minato's and Me, isn't that right?" Yukari loudly said.

"Yeah… I'm sure we'll know the truth until we reach the final door." Mitsuru seriously nodded.

Three doors remained... They wondered what lay behind these doors. What past events must they witness to identify the cause of the Abyss of Times?

"But before that, we'll need to sleep in our own room, regaining our strength and keep searching until the last door. No objection, right everyone?" Mitsuru asked everyone's opinion.

Their eyes held a determination to overcome the struggles they would face. They would not avert their gaze from pain but instead kept moving forward until they found the answers to everything.

Minako gently nodded to Mitsuru, agreeing with Mitsuru's plan.

"Then I'll sleep in the living room then." Minako said.

"But why! We can give a vacant room from you." Mitsuru asked curiously.

"I need to check up on the Persona ritual spot and patrol that door. There may be something that got outside of it,." Minako reasoned.

Akihiko disagreeably shook his head toward Minako's request.

"No way! Minako. I won't let you be here alone."

"But I'm still a threat to all of you. How can I trust myself to not hurt you all?" Minako insisted.

Akihiko disappointingly sighed. It seemed Akihiko had no choice but to let her be here but with one condition.

"Then…. If you keep insisting to be here in this room, I'll stay here with you, got it? So I can keep watching you." Akihiko said, making the others surprised his decision, expect Mitsuru and Yukari who knew he would help no matter what word they tried to persuade him,.

"Well, if you say so..." Minako calmly accepted his proposal.

It seemed like no one would refuse his request either.

"Then It's decided then." Metis said.

"Ugh…I feel sleepy… We should return to our room now." Junpei covered his drowsy voice form his mouth and begged.

Everyone unanimously nodded and slowly walked to their room, leaving Akihiko and Minako alone in the living room.

Akihiko felt weird, being alone with Minako, his girlfriend from the other side.

"Um…. Minako, could I ask about music box?" Akihiko questioned.

"Hm? Why are you curious about it?" Minako asked.

"I….. I couldn't imagine myself to buy something…..cute in my life. You must be important in his life don't you think?" Akihiko said, his face felt unease, sticking nose into other people's business. However, Minako didn't mind telling him at all.

"Haha.. I never had seen that side of Aki either. I'm quite surprised and so adorable of him what he gives me. He said he'll store it every year too." Minako cheerfully spoke, began to return her usual term.

"Is that so? Hehe.." Akihiko whimsically said.

But her reaction changed into gloomy instantly.

"Until he told me one thing….. Christmas Eve, or anything holiday…. never really matter to him at all. When he saw those festivals, only thing reminded the most was Miki… you know I mean right?" Minako said, seriously gazed at Akihiko.

He quietly looked at Minako with a little of gloom in his eyes. It's true… in his life, he had never cared about enjoying festivals or anything besides training boxing… to become stronger. He missed a chance to save his sister and even Shinjiro. He wasted a lot of his time to enjoy his life he should. Never realized that there was something more important than keeping distant from the other. He felt relieved that the other him had his true happiness back…..not until she would be back to him.

"You changed him. You gave him what he should deserved. You should be proud of yourself." Akihiko reassured.

"You're right… Maybe I tend to overthink too much." Minako said, feeling pleasant.

Minako and Akihiko was being silent for a while. Minako decided to change subject to talk with.

"Akihiko…. Do you interest in Mitsuru?" Minako question about his opinion.

"Mitsuru? No…not now. I could only see her as my comrade or best friend." Akihiko mumbled.

Minako smiled mischievously. She looked fun to tease him all the time.

"Oh really? I thought you had already been each other. So bored." Her expression becoming quite disappointed.

"No way! She always rages at me when I do something that bother her. I got my execution many times from her. Just thinking about it terrifies me" Akihiko exclaimed, his face expressed his fear during talking about Mitsuru.

"Are you're idiot or something? You always do something that normal people don't. Perhaps I should to my lover someday." Minako dared to insult Akihiko.

"Minako!" Akihiko blushed, making her to stop talking.

"Hahahaha! Of course I'm kidding. Why would I do that?" Minako said funnily, laughing while touching her belly tightly.

"Jeez! I began to wonder about the other me feeling." Akihiko shook his head but felt happy at the same time. He hadn't felt like this in quite a while... since losing Minato on that promise day... Of course, everyone would feel the same.

He began to feel sleepy and decided it was time to say goodnight to her.

"I'll sleep on this side. Are you okay with that?" Akihiko asked.

"At least I don't be alone. That would be enough for me…. Thanks." Minako expressed her gratitude.

"Okay then…. Good night, Minako." Akihiko said before falling to sleep.

"You too, Akihiko." Minako said goodnight, watching him sleeping quietly and touch his hair warmly.

"I'll see you soon, Aki."

Mitsuru bathed in her own bathroom, reflecting on the love story Minako had shared with her. She felt warm and cheerful every time Minako talked about Akihiko. Especially a moment Minako felt blushed on her cheek about Akihiko dolting trait. Mitsuru wondered how long they had been in relationship in that world.

But the other of her thought made her felt sympathy. How long would she carry this burden? She's not human from the start. Her expression now was even more empty inside. Moreover that…

"This's Nyx actually our enemy? Then what about the past? Why didn't The Fall occur in the ancient time? Why!"

She couldn't let these of her doubt from her mind. Her thought was frowning with questioning and distrustful.

"*knock* *knock* Mitsuru-senpai, Are you there?" Yukari knocked the door, calling Mitsuru.

"Yukari… Yes, but I'm still bathing. Wait there until I finish my own bath." Mitsuru relied. Mitsuru's voice echoed from behind the closed bathroom door.

"Okay then."

Yukari waited at the front door. Not for long Mitsuru opened the door, wearing a white towel.

"Come in." Mitsuru invited Yukari to her room.

Yukari quietly nodded and found a sofa to sit on. Mitsuru sat near her, expressed a curious glance in her direction. Yukari's eyes were clearly frowning with a mixture of hatred, fury, and jealousy.

"What do you want to talk about, Yukari? You seemed serious these days." Mitsuru worried.

"I have been thinking lately when looking our teammates' past…." Yukari said, her gaze fixed on Minato's Evoker, which Aigis had left on the desk after finishing a Persona fusion. Her eyes narrowed with jealousy and a hint of rage.

""I never understand why Aigis inherited his power. Why couldn't it have been me! What makes her so special?" Yukari angrily shouted.

"Augh…. Yukari…Are you…?" Mitsuru gazed her with humbly sight.

"Don't you think so? I too, have a promise to swear to him, all of us. But I never have a chance to tell him. We don't even know why he died in the first place. His pulse and body were still normal until that day…" Yukari mumbled.

"….." Mitsuru exclaimed, being completely silent.

"And Aigis…. That bitch, she was the only one who heard his last words. I.. totally despise her! When I think about that, I hate her even more." Yukari spoke all of her mind without care.

"Yukari, please don' say that t-" Mitsuru calmed down Yukari.

But she was still angry, as if she had been betrayed by her beloved senpai. She thought Mitsuru would understand her pain and sadness from losing Minato, but Mitsuru was still being calm. She felt alone.

"So, you would take her side and defend for her cowardly, running away from the truth too? I'm disappointed in you, senpai. I thought you would take my side, just like the old times." Yukari gave a disappointed look to Mitsuru, making Mitsuru felt uncomfortable.

"It's not like that! I…I" Mitsuru hesitated to give her answer.

"There's no point to speak then, I'll go now." Yukari quickly stood up and exited from the room with frustration.

But Mitsuru could grab her hand, trying to give reason to her.

"What're you doing? Get away from me!" Yukari shouted.

"Yukari! Listen to me!" Mitsuru yelled back to her.

Yukari felt a chill run down her spine. She knew Mitsuru always be serious in every situation, but this time she reached her own last straw when hearing a harsh word from Yukari.

"Of course! I never understand why he died from us. I tried every way to save him, but I can't….. I'm too, being useless." Mitsuru's tear flowing on her eyes.

"Senpai.. you're not-" Yukari tried to console her.

"But it's the truth. Everything would be better if that stupid experiment didn't happen in the first place! With that… my father wouldn't dead!" Mitsuru furiously said.

Yukari squint to her with pity and sorrow. Her senpai endured all the pain and guilty that her family sent to her. She was bound by the fate she never asked for— seeking peace with him, and longing for a normal life.

But in the end, she failed. Her father died, and she was consumed by overwhelming sadness. If not for Yukari, she would not have become the person she was, with her new meaning of life.

She wiped Mitsuru's tear tenderly.

"I'm truly sorry, senpai… I too was being to idiot to ignore your true feeling." Yukari regretted.

"It's okay, Yukari. There's nothing wrong with expressing your feelings or anything else. It's no different from hiding from the truth either." Mitsuru reassured.

"Senpai…. Yeah.." Yukari nodded.

Mitsuru and Yukari continued their conversation.

"We could ask Minako about his hidden power. If she has a same power, she must definitely know something it." Mitsuru suggested.

"But she's Nyx! She didn't die from it! We can't trust her yet!" Yukari extremely protested.

"Even if it doesn't seem connected to our current situation, at least we might get a glimpse of his cause of death." Mitsuru said.

Yukari fell silent for a while. She still had a doubt about Minako, but something must be done if they wanted to know the truth and get out of here.

She decided to get along with Mitsuru's suggestion.

"Okay, senpai. I understand now." Yukari calmly relied.

Yukari turned back to Mitsuru before returning to her room.

"Goodnight, senpai. See you later."

Mitsuru slowly smiled to her with warm and gentle. "You too, Yukari."

At the other side, Aigis, Fuuka, and Metis stayed in Aigis's room, which was filled with various ammunition and guns. Aigis slept on her energy charger while Metis kept watch over her for safety.

Fuuka and Metis engaged in a conversation about Aigis's special power.

"Metis, did you have any thought about her awakening power? I don't get why she can use it.. like him." Fuuka questioned Metis.

"No clue either. Maybe our answer we seek is still in these doors." Metis hesitated to answer Fuuka.

"I see…"

Fuuka decided to change their topic to talk with. She was unsure she should bring this up or not.

"About Nyx…er.. I mean Minako-chan.." Fuuka quietly whispered.

"Yeah, I was keeping an eye on her when we investigated last time. She seemed empty inside and merciless. Until she heard the song," Metis noted.

"You mean... that song keeps her true self temporarily, right?"

"Maybe… it's a part of her memory that she remembered well." Metis uncertainly said.

Metis saw Minako for the first time, so she wasn't certain about her yet. But a part of her mind kept telling her to trust her, even though she knew she was Nyx, the entity that everyone hated.

And she saw her sister's reaction toward Minako. It became clear to her that she could trust Minako without any doubt anymore.

"We must trust her if we want to survive, Fuuka-san" Metis remarked.

Fuuka strongly nodded "I agree, she never lies about herself to us and It's always the truth. If she doesn't want to tell us something that bother her, she may have her own reason to hide it from us." Fuuka added.

Fuuka fell into sleep instantly since she used her power without resting.

"Aa….Fuuka-san. Jeez!" Metis complained, bring Fuuka back to her own room while looking back to Aigis. Her face looked painful about something that clearly on her lips.

"I hope it'll be nothing wrong to her…..Sister."

Monday, March 19th, 2010, Shuto Expressway (Night)

On the Shuto Expressway, the motorway was experiencing a traffic jam for three hours due to an accident on the street. Akihiko and the others were still in the RV. They had already slept in the car for a while, yet no one felt tired.

Koromaru noticed his feeling, staying near Akihiko to comfort him.

Akihiko noticed Koromaru staying near him. He gave the dog a calm look and rubbed his hair, silently assuring him that everything was okay.

Akihiko boringly stared out of the RV without a particular direction to look while everyone enjoyed their party on the RV.

"Junpei, this is for you." Chidori said, giving some accessory. It's white cross necklace.

"Chidori, this is..." Junpei was surprised by the gift.

"Think of it as a charm." Chidori smiled.

Junpei quickly wore it without delay, surprising everyone in the car with how well it suited him.

"Wow, you chose a gift for Junpei-san well, Chidori-san." Aigis said.

"Well… not that good." Chidori blushed.

"Hahaha! Oh man… We just have witnessed their honeymoon on the car." Yukari teased.

"Yuka-tan!" Junpei suddenly covered his face with an awkward expression.

"I have to admit that it actually looks good on him, Hehe.." Mitsuru joined Yukari in teasing.

"Hehehehe…." Fuuka giggled.

"Kirijo Senpai and Fuuka-chan too? Oh, come on! Stop teasing me already" Junpei begged everyone to stop laughing. But everyone laughed even more. Akihiko who glanced at Junpei made a small smile on his lips before turning his gaze back to the windows again.

"Those foods and drink's taste is so good. It's totally a premium quality." Ken praised.

"You should thank Shinjiro, Amada." Mitsuru said, staring at Shinjiro.

"Mitsuru?" Shinjiro expressed his confusion until he saw Ken's delighted smile.

"Thank you for your food and drinks, Aragaki-san." Ken bowed to him.

"Not at all. I was being requested from Mitsuru, choosing foods and drinks we would add. That's all." Shinjiro said, turning back from Ken with shyness.

"You agree too, right Sana-" Ken started to say before noticing Akihiko's silence.

"Oh..." Ken realized that Akihiko was feeling down from being separated from Minako. Ken worried Akihiko but there was nothing he can do for him. He decided not to say anything until they reached their destination.

"*bzzz* * bzzz*"

Suddenly, everyone heard noise coming from somewhere, causing even Akihiko to begin looking around. Panic ensued as they frantically searched for the cause. Chidori also heard those noise as well.

"Those noise…make headache." Ken covered his ears from the noise.

"Amada!" Shinjiro shouted.

Mitsuru gazed at Kikuno, asking about a source of noise.

" Kikuno, do you find anything?"

"No, milady, those noises didn't come from our radio. We haven't opened it for a while," Kikuno reported to Mitsuru.

"What's those noise, Junpei" Chidori scared of noise, hugging Junpei's arm.

"I..I don't know!" Junpei panicked like Chidori.

Fuuka looked around and spotted the source of the sound. It was coming from the book they had brought from the Velvet Room.

"There!" Fuuka pointed her finger carefully towards the book.

"Don't tell me Minako-"

Before Yukari could speak up, the sound became clearer.

"Hey… Did anyone hear me?" It's Minako who contacted everyone through her tome and Thanatos.

"Minako-san!" Ken shouted happily. It's really Minako's voice.

"Ah!" Aigis delightfully smiled, hearing Minako's voice.

"Minako! Are you all right? Did anyone hurt you?" Akihiko asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I'm totally fine. I went to the desert of times and contact all of you from there. I'm…not sure how to explain my situation… I felt…. empty or something?" Minako uncertainly said.

"Minako, please explain all situation you have been encountered." Mitsuru asked Minako to told everything.

"Yes, Kirijo-senpai." Minako said, preparing for explanation.

Chidori was confused. Why could she hear all of it here? She had already lost her powers but could hear a voice like everyone else. Junpei noticed her panicked reaction, making him a little worried.

"Chidori, what's wrong?"

"What happened?" Chidori spoke with Junpei.

"It's all right. It's just my friend contact to everyone." Junpei comforted.

"Then, why can I hear her?" She suspected.

"Honestly….I ain't get at all." Junpei relied with confusing answer.

Minako told them everything about the past that lay behind the doors and her current situation she was facing.

Everyone seemed relieved. With only three doors left to discover, and armed with these clues, Minako may be able to escape from the Abyss of Times and uncover the cause of their counterparts' predicament.

"Only three doors left.. A puzzle would be solved in no time." Mitsuru said.

"Just keep it up, Minako. I'll help you out if we could find a way to reach you." Akihiko noted.

"Um…Then I'll go now. Looks like a black figure keep looking at me. Goodbye"

Minako cut her signal and disappeared. Everyone in the RV decided to discuss Minako's situation, along with Chidori, who had been brought along only for the trip.

"Minako-san." Aigis expressed anxiety, holding her hands together.

"At least she's okay, right guys?" Junpei said, looking around but they seemed not happy at all. Their reaction was not pleased about what happened to Minako.

"She said she's not herself for a moment. Only time she can regain her mind back is when listen the music box." Mitsuru pondered over.

"So, she keeps it with her. Hehe…" Akihiko thought.

"Will she okay, Junpei?" Chidori moved her eyes to Junpei.

"Beats me." Junpei exclaimed, feeling anxious.

"Kirijo-san, you said we'll investigate at Sumaru city, right? Then what did they found about a rumor in there?" Ken asked.

Mitsuru placed all the documents on the table as Kikuno could find. The others read through them, discovering that they were all about a bizarre incident that had occurred 10 years ago. Serial murders had been caused by the "JOKER" phenomenon. Anyone who fell victim to Joker's curse, driven by revenge or despair, would become a new "JOKER" and indiscriminately kill those in their sight. There were numerous victims who turned into "JOKER" over the course of the incident.

Another part that caught Mitsuru's eye was that all the models in the Sky Museum could come to life without explanation. Moreover, every resident also knew about this all along, but it was strange to her that there had been no news coverage from outside sources about it.

There was also a rumor circulating about demons and Persona users here. This was their main objective for investigation.

"It is just me or these documents is totally a joke to me." Ken grumbled.

"This information is so irrelevant to me. I don't understand at all." Aigis said.

"Oh! Is this a ghost fiction or horror movie? There's no way everyone would believe this." Junpei shocked.

"Even me, I couldn't swallow all of this information into my brain." Fuuka mumbled.

"I'm speechless. I feel like... I'm wandering in the deepest part of the forest when I read it. A demon? Oh great…" Yukari exclaimed, feeling tense.

"Me either." Chidori agreed with Yukari.

"But it's worth to investigate, doesn't it?" Shinjiro responded.

"You're right. We can't let this thing off without trying." Mitsuru nodded to Shinjiro.

"Rumor, huh? I wonder what we will find. I'm totally bored to see those cars have been stuck in traffic for hours." Akihiko curiously said, his expression became bored.

Everyone fell into silence. They couldn't figure out where this information would lead them.

Only the fate would know.