Chapter 32

What is a Shadow?

Minato knew that by traditional definition (if anything could be called "traditional" about Shadows), they were beings born from negative human emotion - specifically suppressed thoughts. They also attracted smaller Shadows to themselves. Minato had a few problems with that definition, but only one was truly on his mind at the moment.

That "human" part of the definition? That didn't explain why these two Shadows he was currently facing had seemingly spawned from Koromaru.

But there was no time to ponder that. As S.E.E.S. mobilized, the Shadows (which Minato recognized from memory) moved too. The Wild Beast growled in a low bass, before opening its mouth wide to unleash an enormous roar, letting loose an attack-increasing spell, a Tarukaja, on its Phantom Master companion. Meanwhile, the Phantom Master's lantern flame began to swirl within its housing, an Agilao growing and accelerating to a blur within. In the split second he had to react, Minato directed Icarus to swerve between the Shadow and its apparent target, Akihiko, while Minato himself lunged for the boxer and yanked him to one side.

FOOM!

The blast tore through Icarus, but the collision dispersed some of the fire, sending sparks scattering across the lawn. Minato held onto a gasp threatening to escape him as he dragged Akihiko out of the way, Icarus' violent exit nearly breaking his focus. Meanwhile, the reduced bolt of flame burst against the ground just to the side of Akihiko.

"Good work, Arisato!" Mitsuru's voice said from the ether. "There are two Shadows here: a Phantom Master and a Wild Beast. The Wild Beast is strong against pierce attacks, and weak to light and dark. I do not know the Phantom Master's strengths or weaknesses, but the Shadow is powerful, so be careful!"

As Mitsuru finished her summary, S.E.E.S. circled close to Minato. He glanced from side to side to check on the team, but his eyes quickly stuck to his sister, eyes wide and hand clinging tightly to her sword.

"It's too dangerous," she murmured, the sword's hilt nearly creaking in her grasp. "Shit. Shit. We're not prepared enough. We shouldn't have come…!"

She almost leapt out of her skin as Minato laid a hand on her shoulder, his hand now free after swiftly stowing his evoker back in its holster. "It's alright, Hamu," he said, a calm smile on his lips.

Minato turned back around, hand still on Hamuko's shoulder, stance wide and back straight. "Everyone! Attack the Wild Beast first! I don't think anyone has light or dark spells…"

Minato hesitated for a fraction of a moment as he remembered that Koromaru actually did have a dark-type spell Mudo… but as Koromaru had no evoker at the moment, no dark spell was possible.

"…so just be sure to not hit its pierce resistance," he continued. "We have to stop it from further boosting the stats of the Phantom Master. Hamu, keep an eye on that Phantom Master, but everyone else, give that Wild Beast all you got!"

There was a moment of hesitation (Junpei and Akihiko literally glanced at Hamuko, who just gave them a tiny, staccato nod), before they were spurred to action by the Wild Beast stepping forward, the grass and earth in the courtyard crushed under its weight. Minato let go of Hamuko's shoulder and leapt forward, placing his newly-freed hand on the hilt of his sword, holding it in two hands in a style similar to Junpei's. (In fact, it was a style that Minato had learned from Junpei in his original timeline.) He reared back and swung at the Shadow, putting his whole torso into the motion, smirking when his strike slammed into the Shadow and it actually stumbled back a step.

It yowled in pain, but had no time to recover with Akihiko, Koromaru, and Junpei charging up. Of those three, Akihiko came first, landing a solid punch to the Shadow's side, knocking it off balance. Next came Junpei, his broadsword crashing heavily into the beast, smashing it to the ground. Then Koromaru leapt forwards, claws raking against its side, jaws tearing into the throat of the downed Shadow.

Koromaru's attack did the trick. The Shadow's pained roar was cut short as it dissolved into muck, splattering against the ground.

Minato smiled grimly, before he heard the rush of igniting flames.

"Agilao incoming!" Hamuko screamed.

Whirling around, Minato lowered into a crouch. A fireball shot over his head with the roar of flames filling his ears, its acrid smoke briefly overtaking his sense of smell. It exploded on the path behind him, sparks flying and shimmering out into the air as the fire gnawed into the ground.

A little close for comfort!

Minato sprang into action once more, charging closer to the Shadow. The Phantom Master still hovered above the playground, far out of reach for any melee weapons, so he couldn't attack it directly. In fact, the only person who wielded a weapon that could have reached the Shadow was…

Minato cut that thought off. Instead, as he closed in, he tore his evoker out of its holster and spun it upwards next to his head, firing it with a yell of "Sukunda!" For the second time that evening, ripples in the air shimmered and wavered around the Shadow, closing in before striking silently. The Shadow shivered, its cape rippling as it hovered backwards when Minato's spell hit its mark.

"Zio!"

Akihiko's voice shot out like cannon fire, and a sizzling crack erupted from the void. Lightning hit the Shadow dead on, sending it reeling.

"Agi!"

"Fortuna, Garu!"

Minato had been expecting Junpei to jump in with an Agi, as befitted his action-oriented style. He hadn't expected Hamuko to jump in, too.

The two Personas burst into existence near-simultaneously, Hermes' golden-black body bathed in light from the fire spell Junpei had cast. Meanwhile, Hamuko's new Persona appeared, a slender blue-haired woman who was notably missing a torso in favor of a silver wheel, connecting her pale legs to her arms, breasts, and head. Wind whipped about it, twirling the Persona's hair into a frenzy, while its wheel spun, accelerating faster and faster while it smirked.

Minato was sure there would have been much more bafflement at the appearance of the new Persona if it weren't for the action in front of them. The Personas unleashed their spells in quick succession, Hermes' Agi going first, blasting through the air towards its target. Fortuna's Garu flew right behind it, the wind rushing behind the flames feeding its blaze, growing stronger as the spells soared towards their target.

The spells acted as a two-hit combo, detonating against the Shadow. The flames collided with the Shadow and staggered it, before the wind spell completely knocked it out of the air, smashing against the top of the playset before it tumbled off, colliding to the ground in a dull whump.

It twitched on the ground, but before it could do much more, Minato roared. "Everyone! Attack it, now!"

The active members of S.E.E.S. charged forwards (even Hamuko appeared to have briefly forgotten her panic, the adrenaline coursing through her fading the fear from her expression and replacing it with the usual cool steel of her soldier-mode). Minato and Hamuko's swords flashed together, Junpei cleaved with his broadsword, and Akihiko waited (bouncing on his feet) until the weapon-wielding trio finished, before leaping close to the monster and pounding into it, fist smashing into the Shadow's face three times.

Koromaru didn't even get the chance to attack. As Akihiko's fist struck the third time, the Shadow's mask cracked. The flame kindling in the center of its body flickered out, and just like its companion, it too dissolved into black gunk, staining the ground (and Akihiko's fists) before starting to evaporate.

As the Shadow evaporated into nothingness, Akihiko stood breathless in the center of the group. Personas disappeared, weapons slowly lowered one by one, and Koromaru slipped through the group (between Hamuko's legs), sniffing the ground where the Shadow had just been.

"...There are no more Shadows left in the area," Mitsuru said. "Well done, everyone. Please return to me."

Minato breathed out a sigh, sheathing his sword and tucking his evoker away. He turned to Hamuko. "See? It…"

Any further words died on his lips as he focused on his sister. With the action over, her expression had completely shuttered, all emotions behind lock and key.

"Yeah," she said. "You were right. Thanks, Mina."

She walked past him as she sheathed her weapon, shoulder not quite brushing against him. Minato watched as she left, but she didn't look back.

Minato blinked, standing in place as Hamuko continued to walk away. After a few seconds of indecision (and admittedly some confusion), he began to jog after her. "Hey, Hamu."

Hamuko hesitated for a moment mid-stride, then turned around just as Minato stopped. They were about halfway between the rest of S.E.E.S. and Mitsuru - and with how quietly they were speaking, out of earshot of both groups.

"...What?" she replied.

"Are you…" Minato began, then paused. "How are you?"

Hamuko raised one eyebrow at him, and it almost gave Minato some hope. But the rest of Hamuko's body language was simply… dead. She looked as stiff as a board, and was just as expressive.

"Fine, Mina," she replied, with deep bags under her eyes. She lowered her eyebrow and turned around. "Now c'mon. Let's finish this up and go home."

"Hamu, wait-"

"What," she said, not turning around this time.

Taken aback by her tone, Minato hesitated, and a feeling of dread trickled into his stomach. "…I just want to talk," he said slowly, like he was approaching a dangerous animal. "Could I talk to you later?"

Hamuko didn't move. "…there's nothing to discuss."

"I just-"

"Mina. I'm going to finish the mission. I'll see you later."

And without a word more, Hamuko began walking away, and she didn't turn back. She beelined for Mitsuru, auburn hair whipping behind her as she marched onwards. Only scuffed footprints and Minato were left in her wake, somewhat stupefied and stunned.

A few moments later - perhaps noting that the action, as it were, was now over - Koromaru padded after her, brushing by Minato's legs before moving on. Akihiko followed suit, wiping his hands off on his uniform (now stained with dirt and ash streaks), though sparing a moment to nod at Minato.

Then Junpei walked forwards. He passed by Minato, holding his broadsword over his shoulder as usual, before he stopped. Still focused on his sister, Minato only watched with half an eye as Junpei paused, took a deep breath, and then turned around on a heel, gripping his hat with one hand, mouth twisted into a frown.

"...Hey. Uh… Minato-kun." Junpei's thumb tapped light and fast against his broadsword's hilt as he spoke. When Minato tore his eyes away from Hamuko and looked at Junpei, he managed to keep eye contact with Minato for about half a second before his gaze slipped away to focus on something very interesting to his side. "I'm, well, worried about Hamu-tan. Y'know, your sister, I mean."

Taptaptap went his finger on his weapon.

"What… whatcanIdo?"

Minato blinked as Junpei's question tumbled out of him in a jumbled heap.

"I… I don't know what to do," Junpei continued, now staring at the ground. (Apparently, eye contact with Minato was still far too radical a concept to execute.) "I've never seen her like this before, and I want it to stop. But… Yuka-tan and I don't know what to do, and I've thought about it a lot, and I've tried some things, but nothing's worked, and…"

He trailed off, and he swallowed. "Uhm, yeah."

Minato took a deep breath, still reeling from all the unexpected behavior of the past few minutes. "I… really appreciate it, Junpei-kun," he said. "But for now, I'll handle it."

It wasn't that he didn't want Junpei's help eventually, or that Junpei couldn't help. But… this was Hamuko. If Minato could just get her to listen, he was sure he could help her. (Minato's thoughts whispered doubts, the echoes of Hamuko's abrupt dismissal still clear in his mind… but he firmly brushed those doubts away. This was Hamuko. He could do this.)

Junpei hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, ok. Definitely good. Can, uh, can I do anything?"

Minato shook his head, his gaze once more fixed on Hamuko, who was talking to Mitsuru about something or other. "No. She doesn't need you."

Since he wasn't looking at Junpei, Minato didn't see his reaction directly. But as soon as the words left Minato's mouth, Junpei's fingers immediately stopped their tapping against his weapon. It was so abrupt that Minato hit rewind on his mind.

'She doesn't need you.'

Minato stiffened.

Crap.

As Minato's heart leapt and he silently scrambled for words, Junpei spoke. "Right," he said, his voice a muted gray. "Don't worry. I understand."

Minato whipped his head back to Junpei, but Junpei's hat was yanked low, so low that it covered his eyes. "Hey, wait." Minato said, stepping forward. But Junpei had already turned away from Minato, giving no reaction as he lumbered forwards with leaden limbs.

Adrenaline started to kick in, surprising even Minato as he called out once more. "JunPEI!"

Oops.

The world froze as blood immediately flooded to Minato's cheeks, and he felt every part of his body refuse to move in utter horror.

That was… the worst voice crack Minato had ever had.

Junpei actually tripped at Minato's shout (thankfully not falling flat on his face or his sword), before swinging his body around with bafflement exploding across his face. And Minato couldn't blame him. This Junpei had rarely heard Minato speak with anything other than a monotone. Even the longer sentences Minato was now speaking were probably awfully odd to everyone, Junpei included.

It wasn't that a voice crack was all that mortifying on its own, but for Minato? He'd thought he had an iron grip on his voice, with all the practice he'd gotten over the past few months.

Nothing like a brief stressful situation to remind you that you're still going through puberty.

The two boys stared at each other: Junpei nearly slack-jawed, Minato with his jaw tightly clenched to make sure nothing else would escape his lips.

Maybe if I knock him out, he'll forget everything from the past couple minutes?

Deciding that some hypotheses were best tested another day, he unclenched his jaw (vaguely surprised he didn't need a wrench to assist with that) and opened his mouth. Regardless of how it happened, he could at least be grateful that he had Junpei's attention again. "...I didn't mean that. Or, I didn't mean it like that."

Minato hesitated. Junpei stayed silent, but he was no longer shackled to a look of accepted defeat.

"There are times where Hamu needs her friends," he continued, slow and steady. "But there are also times when she needs her brother. I think this is the latter."

Minato took a deep breath. "Junpei… kun. Hamu loves you. N-not like that," he hastily stammered as Junpei's eyes snapped wide open. "As a friend. But she's really glad to have you around. I'm sure of it. I just… I want to try to fix this myself first."

With that, Minato decided that he'd done enough damage, and shut his mouth. He felt jittery, like his entire being was abuzz. Like he'd done something unusual, something decidedly un-Minato-like…

"Y' know, Minato-kun, sometimes you talk like you know everything. But right now, you look like you're about to crap yourself."

...and apparently, Junpei agreed.

The statement was said with no malice or jeering, but instead with a simple, small smile. The first one Minato could remember this universe's Junpei ever showing him in such a direct way.

This wasn't the smile that he so often used in front of others. This was Junpei's real smile.

It was at that moment that Minato came to another realization: this was also the first time that Junpei had seen actual emotion from Minato outside of certain combat situations. Now, it wasn't that Minato had been lying to him the entire time. He was sure he had sometimes, but certainly not always. To Minato, his usual actions in this timeline felt more like… acting as a caricature of himself. Putting on a show, at least somewhat, around Junpei and the others. He couldn't even deny that he'd been completely natural with his sister.

This wasn't the first time he had thought about his acting, of course. But here, in a single moment of panic, it was the first time that all of his performing had been totally stripped away, leaving just… him. For as much as he knew about Shadows, and fighting, and Personas, and the future (presumably, at least)... at his core, he was still the same Minato. Socially awkward, easily-flustered Arisato Minato. And even though he wasn't a fan of how he currently looked to Junpei, he also couldn't help but feel warmth blossom from deep within as he watched Junpei's shoulders lower, as Junpei's grip on his broadsword eased, and his whole body relaxed from its coil.

"Alrighty. I'll leave the tough stuff to you, then." Junpei adjusted his grip on his broadsword, his lips pulling back into their usual wide grin. "But I'll keep an eye on her, too. She can't get rid of me even if she wanted to."

"Yeah," Minato replied. "I hear you're hard to get rid of."

"Heh, damn straight." He chuckled, adjusting his hat, but keeping it clearly above his sight line as he grinned up at the Dark Hour's sky. "I ain't the type of guy to just give up on someone."

Minato listened to Junpei's nonchalant affirmation, the warmth bursting from him manifesting in a wide smile. Because Minato knew - perhaps more than anyone in this universe - just how true those words were.

He was barely able to tone down his fond look when Junpei turned back to him. "But you'd better try to talk with her again soon, y' hear? Don't think I won't get on your case about it. Definitely not after this little chat."

Minato quirked up one side of his lips in a half-smile. "Noted. I don't want to be on the bad side of that sword."

"Exactly! Don't procrastinate, or I'll poke ya with my big stick." As he began walking backwards towards the exit of the shrine, Junpei briefly lifted his broadsword off his shoulders, a teasing grin still on his lips.

Minato chuckled and gave a small nod as Junpei continued, eventually flipping back around and walking forwards out of the shrine area, with a straight back and light gait.

Meanwhile, Minato stayed in the shrine's courtyard, heaving a deep sigh as soon as Junpei was out of earshot. He glanced upwards, watching the misty green clouds of the Dark Hour roll past, completely hushed and oddly graceful. As he gazed, the Dark Hour abruptly ended, and while the clouds (now a stark gray) continued their stroll across the starry night, the previously silent night erupted all around him with the sounds of summer: Cicadas chirping their songs in harmony, grass rustling in a healthy evening breeze, and a windchime tinkling in response.

Compared to the deathly still of the Dark Hour, the shrine had burst into a symphony of life.

Minato let the harmonies wash over him, closing his eyes after a few moments as his racing heartbeat gradually slowed down following his talk with Junpei. His body gently settled, the adrenaline seeped out of his limbs, and the bright warmth he felt from his Junpei chat all trickled out of him, leaving just Minato and the sounds of the shrine.

After a few minutes of this, light crunches of approaching footsteps reached his ears, followed shortly afterwards by a voice.

"Enjoying the night, Arisato?"

Minato opened his eyes and turned his focus back to earth as Mitsuru walked up. She had a light smile on her face as the gentle breeze tossed back her hair and ruffled her skirt. In her hands was the Dark Hour-proof laptop, folded and tucked between her arm and her side as she walked up. Behind her, he could see that there was no one else in the courtyard - the other members of S.E.E.S. were all gone.

"Yeah." Minato glanced back to the sky, finding a cloud continuing its trek across the heavens.

Mitsuru stopped next to him, placing the laptop on the ground, and gazed upwards. The two shared a quiet moment or two before Mitsuru shifted.

"...Although I wish I could say I am here to watch the sky, I actually wanted to ask you about tonight."

Minato glanced down. Mitsuru's face looked neutral - not particularly worried, not particularly relaxed, as she stared upwards. At his movement, she glanced down to look at him, too.

"You took charge of S.E.E.S. again today," she said.

It wasn't a question, but Minato nodded anyway.

"And I presume you still wish to have your sister lead S.E.E.S. as the operational leader?"

"She's the better leader."

"...Please pardon my bluntness, Arisato, but she is not."

Minato blinked, before his visible eye narrowed slightly. Mitsuru closed her eyes for a brief second, before opening them back up and matching his expression, her gaze drilling into him.

"Arisato, your commitment to your sister is commendable. But it is my job to ensure that S.E.E.S. not only completes our mission, but also survives. Your sister has done an excellent job leading us, far better than many would have done. However, I have now seen you in action. Between your excellent capabilities - which you have again proven tonight - and her current… mental state, I am simply running out of reasons to not allow you to be our main operational leader. And before you speak," she said, holding her hand up when Minato opened his mouth, "Allow me to remind you that I am confident your sister would agree with me."

Mitsuru lowered her hand as Minato took a quiet, deep breath. Where to begin?

"I do understand your concerns, Senpai," he said, slowly sliding his hands into his pockets. "But differences between our martial and tactical abilities aren't related to why she's the better leader."

Raising her eyebrow, Mitsuru opened her mouth to speak… before slowly closing it again, and simply keeping her eyes on Minato.

He continued. "Hamu can - no, will learn to be just as skilled as I am," he said. "But the others want to follow her. They look at her before me, because she has a skill that I'll never have - her charisma. I can't stress how important it is that S.E.E.S. has an operational leader that they want to follow - not one they have to follow."

"...I would rather have them alive and less happy than the alternative, Arisato," Mitsuru said quietly.

Minato clenched his fists, and stood up straight again, rising at least an inch. "No one will die," he promised, a solemn look on his face. "That is the truth, regardless of who is the operational leader."

Her red eyes on him, Mitsuru didn't respond for several moments. Yet in the space between those moments, Minato could see several emotions briefly flash through her: her eyes widened, then relaxed, and her shoulders lowered a touch before she straightened her back, too.

At last, she gave him a sturdy nod. "...I understand. I will take your advice into consideration. Yet I must also insist that, unless your sister's mental state changes soon, I will officially place you in charge as operational leader, at least temporarily. We have just had one… incident close to death for our team. I will not have another."

Frustration growled in the pit of Minato's stomach, but he shoved it down, out of reach. "...Sure," he replied.

Mitsuru nodded. "Very well. I have one other thing to ask you, however." Mitsuru's brows furrowed slightly, and Minato's frustration dispelled as curiosity filled its place. "Did you… happen to notice where the Shadows tonight came from?"

Minato hesitated before answering. "...Koromaru."

"I thought the same." Mitsuru's lips thinned into a line. "Knowing this, I have my doubts about letting him stay at the dorms. What if he spawns more Shadows while staying with us?"

"Doubtful." Minato gently shook his head. "Did you see where he was looking when it happened?"

"...He was looking at that tree."

"Right." As Minato spoke, both he and Mitsuru turned their heads to look at said tree, jutting high out of the ground and reaching for the gleaming stars above. "Until he saw that, nothing happened - and after we killed those Shadows, he was fine. I doubt more Shadows will come from him while he's with us." Minato paused. "Also, we probably don't need to worry about a patrol at the shrine for the same reason. I'll explain it to him too, but I bet the Shadows were coming from him. Once he spends more time with us, the Shadows won't appear here."

"But, Arisato, it is because the Shadows spawned from him that I am concerned he might…" Halfway through her thought, Mitsuru paused, glancing back at Minato. "...You believe that allowing him to stay with us shall not cause any of us to be in danger."

Thinking back to his original timeline, and the distinct lack of anything like that happening then, Minato gently inclined his head. "...Yeah. Koromaru is no danger to us."

For a few moments after Minato spoke, Mitsuru peered intensely into his eyes, as if daring him to back down. However, Minato stood his ground, and soon enough, Mitsuru relented, dipping her head in response. "Alright. I shall trust your judgment, then. He shall stay with us as expected."

With that said, Mitsuru - as she often did - turned around, ready to make her exit, though leaning down to pick up her laptop first. But unlike usual, she paused, flipping back around, her previously serious expression replaced with something more casual. "...Arisato?"

Minato almost frowned in confusion at the abrupt change in attitude. "Yeah?"

"I am glad that you are talking more. It has been good to hear your thoughts more often, and I… appreciate you sharing them."

If the look on Mitsuru's face was at all odd or out of place, Minato was sure that his face looked even stranger. He looked down at the ground, then back at Mitsuru, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"...Was I that bad before?"

Apparently, he was right about the look on his face. Mitsuru couldn't wipe the smirk off her lips before Minato saw it, and as his expression turned flat, she looked down, covering her mouth with one hand as she coughed and turned around.

"Of course not," she said, voice full of suppressed mirth. "Thank you regardless, Arisato."

With Mitsuru's eyes safely turned away from him, Minato allowed himself a rare, real-life eye roll. "Anytime, Senpai," he sighed.

Even hearing Minato sigh in real life wasn't enough to make Mitsuru turn back around to him. Instead, she began walking away, back to the stairway leading out of the shrine. Minato stayed where he was, not moving, and looking up once more at the sky above. Stars winked down at him from their perches high in the heavens, twinkling as their pinpricks of light flickered with interference from the atmosphere. The same gentle breeze that had accompanied him for the past few minutes flowed by once more, rustling his clothes and hair, tickling his nose.

Minato let himself sigh again - but this time, his shoulders relaxed and his body loosened itself from its tension as his spine moved back into a familiar hunch. Then, after giving himself just a bit longer, he walked over to the stairway leading down to the street below, his feet pressing softly into the grass and then tapping on the stone path. Once he arrived at the stairs, he walked down them slowly, meandering at his own pace, until his footsteps receded into the distance.

Even as Minato, Mitsuru, and the rest of S.E.E.S. walked away, the shrine itself continued to buzz with the activities of summer. The bugs in the foliage continued their serenades to each other, and the trees surrounding the shrine swayed back and forth, waltzing with the air. However, one tree stood still. The enormous, stalwart tree in the courtyard held firm against the whispering winds, towering far above the shrine as it watched over its domain. And if you looked at it from just the right angle, you could see the tree's stern, disapproving gaze focusing directly down at the new, very noticeable burn mark on the main path.

Shoutouts to:

Tomato95200, Snig1815, Mchicken99, Blue Zenith, and ParaDX for following;

Tomato95200, Snig1815, D3rozic, ParaDX, and musette de cour for fav'ing;

0lcra, Da Etan, Persona020, and Snig 1815 for reviewing;

and, of course, my wonderful beta Disasternoj for betaing!

As was the case last time, no further notes for now. Thanks for reading, and see you in the next update!

[Next chapter drops on May 28th, 2024!]