Chapter 18

Wooooooooooooo!

Woooooooooooooooooo!

Wooooooooooooooooooooooo!

The alarm blared throughout the dorm. Sharp bursts of sound rang through the halls, ricocheting around the close corridors and piercing into the rooms. Bright strobes also blazed into the dark, sneaking under a door and showing the unsurprised face of the taller Arisato, sitting fully clothed on his bed with crutches clenched tight.

It was time. Finally.

He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, instead alternating between tapping his feet, twiddling his thumbs, and staring at the stubbornly slow clock ticking its way towards midnight. One hour shouldn't have been that slow to come.

But regardless, it was time now. When the alarm shut off, he grabbed his pre-packed backpack from beside the bed and headed out his door. It shut with a click, but a similar one from down the hall made him turn as a bedraggled Junpei stumbled out of his door, his uniform even more disheveled than usual. He blinked twice at the crutch-wielding boy before his usual social instincts kicked in.

"Er, hey, dude. You know what's goin' on?"

Minato shook his head. "No. But probably something shadow-related."

"Heh, yeah, I guessed that from the huge effin' alarm and stuff."

The taller Arisato just nodded before the alarm started another round of wailing, and causing Junpei to groan, "Shut up, we get the message, shut uuuuup!"

(Minato hid a smile.)

The duo made their way through the halls and into the command room, where Mitsuru and Akihiko (who'd apparently sprinted to the command room at the first burst of the alarm) were waiting, fully prepared and looking just as they did at school.

Yukari and Hamuko… were not as prepared. When they burst into the command room a few seconds later, Yukari was armed with a hair brush and madly straightening her hair (which still held very noticeable traces of bedhead), sporting a uniform that clearly needed to be ironed. Hamuko, on the other hand, was in a similar state of disarray, but didn't seem to care about either her hair (tied in a sloppy bun, with a few sprigs pointing to the ceiling) or her uniform (only buttoned with every other button, and missing a ribbon), smiling like everything was normal.

That was too much for Junpei to resist. He grinned, raising his finger to point at the two girls, but Minato shoved the baseball player's down before the girls (or more importantly Yukari) noticed.

"Aw, man," the black-haired boy mumbled, "You're no fun."

Minato shrugged slightly.

"All right," Mitsuru's voice cut over the others, quickly hushing them. "Obviously, there is a reason that I pulled the alarm tonight during the Dark Hour. That reason is there has been a massive shadow sensed outside Tartarus."

S.E.E.S.'s eyes all widened at that (minus Minato and Mitsuru), and Hamuko wiped the smile off her face, but no one spoke as the redhead continued. "This clearly cannot stand. So, we shall need a task force to eliminate it." She turned to the auburn-haired girl. "Arisato, since you have been our leader for the past several operations, I am putting you in charge of tonight's. I assume that is fine?"

Hamuko nodded sharply, and Mitsuru mimicked the action back. "Excellent. Then, the task force will consist of the usual members. I want you all to arm yourselves and meet me at the Iwatodai train station in fifteen minutes. Dismissed."

At that, the S.E.E.S. task force of Hamuko, Junpei, Yukari, and Akihiko all gave some sort of recognition and dashed out of the room, leaving only the redhead and blue-haired boy behind. The Kirijo Heir turned back to the computer as soon as the others left.

"I am assuming you know that you are accompanying me tonight, correct?"

"Yeah." Minato swung his way over to the girl's side, peering at the laptop connected to the larger display. "The usual set up, then?"

"Yes. Though, I suppose you'll have to ride on my cycle to make it on time tonight."

"…C-come again?"

He hadn't meant to stutter, but had Mitsuru actually just said…

"Ride on my cycle, Arisato." The barest traces of a smile played on her lips as she synced the laptop one last time. "Do not tell me you are afraid?"

"…I would say startled."

"Of course." The laptop beeped, and a green checkmark popped up on the screen with 'SYNC SUCCESFUL' beneath it. The redhead disconnected it and tucked it under her arm as she rose from the chair. "Then, shall we go? …Although, there is the issue of your crutches."

"I can fix that." Minato swung his backpack down and unzipped it, revealing his pea coat, hand sanitizer, road flares, an emergency cold pack, a belt, and (of course) a few pocketknives. He grabbed the extra belt before swinging his pack over his shoulders, meeting Mitsuru's bemused gaze. "I'll strap them to me for the ride."

"…Very resourceful, Arisato. I shall meet you downstairs in a minute or two."

"Sure."

At that, Mitsuru disappeared through the door, with Minato right behind her, carefully click-clacking his way down the steps. The redhead was already gone when he arrived at the lobby, but he still stepped onto the front porch to wait, shivering as a chilled gust of stale air whipped by him.

After a few minutes, he checked his watch. After a few more, he began to tap his feet. After yet a few more, he put on his pea coat, and after several more, he started to wonder if a shadow had attacked Mitsuru (and how unlucky that poor monster must be).

Fifteen minutes had gone by before he finally heard the distinct roar of the cycle and Mitsuru swept around the corner of the building, sending gravel skidding as she braked hard by Minato's feet.

"What took you?" he asked, admittedly bluntly.

"I apologize," Mitsuru said, breathless and now in her tight black riding uniform. "I had to run all the usual checks on my cycle."

"…Like?"

"Brakes, engine, headlights, wheel rotation-"

"Wheel rotation?"

The fencer turned a glare on the blue-haired boy. "Correct, Arisato, wheel rotation. I do not suppose you would enjoy being tossed off due to an irregularity, would you?"

"…Guess not."

"Then do not complain and get on. We shall be late at this rate."

Fortunately for the taller Arisato, the 'Who's fault is that?' on his tongue didn't make it past his lips. As he bit down a few other sarcastic remarks, he strapped his crutches to his back and hopped onto the motorcycle.

"Ready?" Mitsuru asked, voice muffled by the white helmet with Kirijo emblazoned onto its back.

"Shouldn't I get a helmet-!"

Whether or not Mitsuru actually heard him was debatable, but she gunned the accelerator regardless. Minato rocked back perilously on his seat, arms flailing, before tilting forward and grabbing the bottom of his seat.

Dammit, Mitsuru! He nearly yelped as the bike bounced him around. You didn't tell me this was a single person cycle!

Despite his worries and barely restrained snark, the duo made it safely to the train station (though Minato wasn't sure his derriere would ever be quite the same). As they approached, the redhead gently hit the brakes, giving Minato just enough time to compose himself before the four other members of S.E.E.S. came into view.

"Yooo!" Junpei called, waving an arm wildly and grinning a much too artificial grin. "You're late, slowpokes!"

"Shut up, Junpei," Yukari said, lightly smacking his arm. "We've got a job to do."

"That is correct." As Minato started unpacking the pannier, Mitsuru swung her leg over the rear of the cycle (with a whoosh over Minato's head) and removed her helmet, holding it under one arm as she addressed the group. "Our reports indicate that the shadow is currently hiding inside of a train on the tracks, hence our current location. Your objective is to eliminate the shadow at all costs, as it will undoubtedly cause horrific damage to the city."

Mitsuru gestured to the skyline as she continued. "That leads me into the second objective: try to eliminate the shadow with as little damage to the city as possible. The shadow's elimination, and your lives, come first, but the less damage done to the city, the less damage the Kirijo Group will have to cover." (Yukari rolled her eyes here, but Mitsuru either missed it or ignored it.) "Any questions?"

There were none, and Mitsuru nodded. "Very well. Then, proceed up those stairs… and good luck. Arisato and I will back you up as usual."

Hamuko hopped a few steps up before turning to the rest of the group. "Alright guys, listen up really quick. We've had some surprises in the past when we charged in unprepared, so let's keep an eye or two out for anything that looks weird, okay?" The auburn-haired girl's peers gave her a few nods, and she turned on a heel to face up the staircase. "In that case… Mitsuru, could you connect us?"

"Yes, give me a moment." Raising the evoker to her head, Mitsuru glanced down at the blue-haired boy typing on the computer. He nodded slightly, and she fired the evoker, sending a familiar shattering noise echoing around the block.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Yessir-, er Ma'am!"

"…Yeah, Senpai."

"You need to ask?"

"We're all good, Senpai." Hamuko finished off the impromptu roll call, tossing a small smile back down the steps at the Kirijo heir and her twin. "See you soon."

"…Good luck."

Everyone froze at the unfamiliar voice coming from the empathy link… until they realized that they did know the voice.

"Thanks, Mina. Don't worry about us, just do your job, yeah?"

"Right back at you. …Worrywart."

"Look who's talking!"

"Whatever."

Hamuko's snort over the link was a little too loud for comfort, but the light conversation between the twins did loosen Yukari's shoulders and crinkled Junpei's eyes a little more naturally.

"Alright, S.E.E.S.," Hamuko's voice rang clear in everyone's minds. "Let's move out!"

Mission Start:

DH:25 (25 minutes into the Dark Hour)

The auburn-haired girl's naginata swung lightly from side to side over her shoulder, brushing the back of her hair as the team moved over the deactivated tracks and towards a train resting 50 feet away, its doors oddly open.

"Be careful," Mitsuru's voice rang out, "you're approaching the location of the shadow!"

Hamuko hummed an affirmative and swung her weapon into the ready position, hands further apart and looser than when she first started using it. "Right. Remember guys, keep an eye out for anything unusual."

The team advanced with weapons at the ready, slowly moving to the caboose with low and dull clangs echoing from their footfalls on the rails. Hamuko signaled for a halt 5 feet away from the car, waving the two boys to one side of the car while signaling Yukari to follow her around to the other. The train's open door loomed closer and closer as auburn-haired girl swallowed, shifting her grip on her weapon as Yukari's bow stretched taut behind her. Raising her weapon, the operational leader opened her mouth to tell Yukari to-!

"Gah!"

A dark shadow crept over the doorway. Hamuko swung on instinct, swiping through the air as Yukari shot an arrow over her shoulder. The lance slammed into the inner doorframe and the arrow clattered to rest somewhere inside the train car, but the shadow was…

…gone…?

Wait a minute.

Oh, come on! Hamuko could barely stop herself from crying out as adrenaline shot through her. She looked up at the sky to see, sure enough, a small cloud that had just passed over the moon. Are you kidding me?!

"Hamuko-chan," the archer murmured, apparently having the same realization if her embarrassed expression was any indicator. "I don't think that was a Shadow… I think it was, y' know, a shadow. Normal one."

"Agreed," Hamuko grumbled. "Senpai," she called out in a louder voice. "Can you check and see if there's any immediate shadow activity on the train?"

"Of course," Mitsuru replied on the link. "Please give me a moment to scan the car, and- what are you two doing?!"

Hamuko's eyebrows skyrocketed. "Wh-what?!"

"Not you! Iori! Akihiko! Who gave you authorization to enter the train?!"

"What?!" the shorter Arisato yelped, scanning the train until she saw the two oblivious boys on the opposite end of the car. "Guys! Get out of there, right-!"

Hissssss!

Snap!

She couldn't finish her sentence before the doors slammed shut with finality.

A stunned silence smothered the air for a second, before Hamuko leapt into action. Spinning her Naginata back into its neutral position by her side, she sprinted forward, yelling at the girl behind her, "Come on! We need to move, now!"

The brunette nodded, and followed suit. Both girls sprinted alongside the train car with tense faces and weapons held too tightly, but even they couldn't quite stop the shock coloring their faces as the train's lights flickered on and the hum of electricity filled the stagnant night air.

"What?!" Yukari squeaked. "How is...?!"

As soon as they arrived, the girls leapt onto the ladder. Hamuko pressed her face to the window closest to the boys, eyes wide and hands pounding on the glass with a thump! Thump! Thump! "Hey! Can you hear me?!" she yelled. "This is the last time I ever let you two out of my sight! Guys, please!"

"We can hear you, Hamuko!" Akihiko yelled back. "Take a breather! We're inside, we can take care of ourselves! Worry about yourself for a moment, 'cause this train isn't gonna stand still!"

On cue, the train jerked forward, roughly bumping the two girls together while the distinctive murmur of the train track's third line became apparent from below them.

"It appears that the shadow is controlling the train!" Mitsuru's vaguely panicked voice appeared over the link. "If the acceleration continues…"

"Don't tell me…" Yukari moaned, her voice taking on an edge of panic itself. "We're gonna crash?!"

"Calm down!" Hamuko ordered, eyes narrowed. "Yukari, please jump off and get to safety when we pass by the platform. I'm gonna try to get our stupid boys back to safety. Got it?"

"Sorry to disobey a direct order, Hamuko-chan," Yukari said, grunting as the train's acceleration kicked up another notch, "but jumping off a train at full speed is nearly suicide! And more importantly, if you think I'm ditching anyone, anyone, out here, you've got another thing coming!" The brunette turned her trademark glare on the girl beside her, brown hair whirling about in the wind. "Got it?!"

Hamuko stared impassively at her companion for a few moments, before returning a smirk. "Yeah, I got it." She turned her head back to the window, slamming on it a few more times. "Hey! Listen up!" She pointed to the front of the train once the boys turned. "If this shadow is controlling the train, then I'm guessing it'll be at the front! Is that right, Mitsuru-Senpai?"

"Affirmative!"

"Then Yukari and I will meet you there! Get a move on!"

The boys nodded, and dashed off. Hamuko returned her hand to the ladder, wincing as the train jerked forward again. "Senpai! I need to ask you a favor…"

DH:30 (One asked favor later/7 minutes until train collision)

"…Are you quite certain about this?"

"Senpai, I need backup, and you're the only one available. And now that Mina's Dark Hour adjusted, he can man the computer and help the other boys. All I need you to do in the meantime is keep the audio communication link active; you don't need to worry about visual scanning. It looks we've seen most of these enemies before anyways."

Minato watched the Kirijo heir from the corner of his eye (while still trying to shove down his worry, fear, terror, and ridiculous fury at the two boys who made all his planning for naught) as she ran a hand through her hair, already messy from repeating that bad habit multiple times. "This…" Mitsuru swallowed. "Is quite an insane plan."

"If all goes well, you won't need to enact it," came Hamuko's reply. "But I want every possibility covered right now."

"…Very well, I will make the necessary preparations."

"Thanks, Senpai. Please move quickly!"

"I shall."

The redhead immediately bent down to readjust her riding uniform as Minato continued barking phrases to the boys through the link.

"How many enemies are there?

…Right, and what do they look like?

…Those are Cowardly Maya. Weak against agi attacks, and uses agi."

As the redhead slipped her riding helmet on, the boy exhaled a deep breath. "That all of 'em? Great. …Nice work."

"Are you certain you will be alright alone, Arisato?" Mitsuru asked, quiet through her tinted visor.

"Mm," he grunted. "You'll be in more danger than me, anyways. Worry about yourself first."

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed, but Minato waved her off, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Go, Senpai. I'll be fine. And, um," He scratched his head, "Thanks."

The Kirijo heir stared at the boy for a few more seconds, before nodding and swinging her leg over her cycle. She jammed the key into the ignition and twisted it, letting the engine roar to life and allowing a smile she just couldn't fight curve her lips. Her wrist twitched, her bike bellowed in delight, and Mitsuru and her beast shot off into the night, not noticing Minato watch her drive off from his peripheral vision.

Sadly, the boy himself didn't notice a puddle of black gunk behind him.

As soon as the bike disappeared past a corner, the blob swirled and twisted into a white-gloved hand, fingers pointed downwards with a black abscess on its wrist forming a face. As soon as its eyes formed, its dark mouth curved upwards into a sick grin. The monster formed a fist with its body, fingers twitching upwards into position, before opening its mouth and shooting forward, aiming directly at the boy's back with a ringing shriek.

Minato knew that noise well. He snapped the laptop shut and rolled, snatching his crutches from his back before he landed in a crouch (though wincing as his broken leg hit the ground). The shadow hit the asphalt hard, sending splinters of hardened tar into the air before turning to Minato with a hiss.

That hiss morphed into a yelp as the boy swung one crutch over his head, holding it by its base so the wider end swung at the shadow like a bludgeon. The demon shot upwards in a dodge, and the crutch just bounced on the pavement below it. Seething, the monster clenched into another fist and flew down, letting loose another scream as the boy looked up. But again, it only flew straight into a wall past the taller Arisato, who had spun with his unbroken leg pushing off a streetlamp and with his other crutch acting as a pivot.

Minato dropped the laptop as the shadow tried to shake out of its daze. He twirled his "attack crutch" back into walking position and slung himself forward in a leap, covering the distance between the fighters in seconds. The shadow gained its senses just in time to see the silver side of a crutch engulf its vision, and a strong whack! sent it flying back into the wall with a cry.

"Minato!" Akihiko's voice suddenly rattled over the link. "There's a shadow here, like a blob on the floor with a pink mask! What is it?!"

The boy almost despaired. Can no one give me a Goddamn break?!

"Merciless Maya," he said, using his memory instead of the computer as he leaned around another crazy punch by the enraged shadow.

"Strong against agi,"

Whoosh!

"Weak to bufu,"

Whack!

"And to zio,"

Swoosh!

"And to garu."

"Thanks dude!" Junpei replied for his Senpai. "Er, how are you doing over there?"

Smack!

"SKREEEE!"

"Fine."

"Er, if you say so," the baseball player said. "Did I hear something else just now?"

"Nope. Focus on the mission."

"…Fine. Later."

For whatever reason, as soon as the other boys focused on their own fighting, Minato's shadow decided enough was enough. With an odd, high-pitched growl, it flipped itself upside down and snapped its fingers, forming a clod of ice hovering above it. Minato tensed himself, and when the monster screamed and pointed its finger at the boy, he tucked and rolled. Snapping one crutch down to halt his movement, he held the other in a defensive position and clenched one eye shut in preparation for the coming bufu blast.

Fortunately, the action was partially unnecessary. The ice blast hit a patch of ground away from the boy, freezing it instantly, and the monster charged in a follow up attack, shattering the ice with a triumphant roar. Ice shards exploded away from the impact zone like shrapnel, some of them striking Minato (and one slicing his cheek, sending a trickle of blood down his face), but the taller Arisato remained mostly unscathed.

Unfortunately, the monster hit something arguably of more value to the Kirijo Group. Sitting in that same area were a smattering of black pieces, buzzing and sizzling as one of the few laptops holding the Kirijo shadow database drew its final breaths.

The shadow spun around with a smile on its "face" as Minato stared at the wreckage of the laptop, trying to catch his breath while imagining Mitsuru's face when she found out.

I am screwed. Totally, utterly, incredibly screwed.

He glanced at his opponent. And it's all this damn thing's fault.

With that thought, he slowly reached behind him, unzipping his backpack as the shadow continued its happy dance.

"Minato!" Junpei's breathless voice suddenly came through, making the crippled boy wince. "There's a shadow I've never seen before here! It looks like a hand, with… like, a glove covering it, and it uses bufu attacks! The hell is it?!"

Ah. The same type as this one.

"It's called… a magic hand," Minato panted, continuing to reach into his backpack and plucking something out. He dropped the backpack and removed one end from the object, revealing something vaguely shiny on its end as he pointed it at the shadow.

"Okay, that's cool, but what's it weak against?!"

Before he replied, Minato struck the two ends together...

CRACK!

SSSSSSssss!

…and let the flare burst into existence.

Its bright red flame nearly blinded Minato as it immediately covered the surrounding area in a deep crimson, sparking and smoking as it battled the pale green of the rest of the world. But it did its job, making the shadow whirl around at the crackling hiss and freeze when it focused on the impromptu torch.

At that sight, Minato tilted his head. His hair shifted to one side and revealed a faint, pale line traveling over the boy's normally hidden eye: a scar, usually invisible in normal lighting, but appearing far too macabre in the flare's flickering light.

The shadow flinched.

And Minato smirked.

"Agi."

DH:31 (6 minutes until train collision)

"Yukari-chan, get up here!"

"I'm trying, give me your hand!"

"Grab it, grab- gaah!"

The two girls tumbled onto the roof of the train's caboose, arms tangled together as their backs hit the deck. The wind whipped around them fiercely, howling louder and stronger than any shadow and tossing the girls' uniforms about as they (and their train car) shot off towards the horizon, buildings and trees flying past them in a blur.

"You okay?" Hamuko gasped.

"Y-yeah!"

"Alright! Then let's go and- what are you doing?!"

"You said to go!" a totally baffled Yukari asked as a panicked Hamuko dragged the brunette back down.

"I meant to crawl! You can't just walk on a train going at 60 miles per hour! There's no traction and it's a slanted surface on the roof, you'd get blown away with one wrong step! What do you think this is, fanfiction?!"

A shuddering on the train tore away any conversation between the two girls. They turned in different directions, scanning both ends of the train, but found the same thing: a total of five jellyfish-like creatures, with odd book-crowns on their heads spinning madly as they swarmed the girls' train car.

"I remember these guys," Hamuko murmured, mostly to herself. "Spurious Books! Yukari, whatever you do, don't summon-!"

Too late. Probably on reflex, the brunette had already snatched her evoker and, aiming at the shadow in front of her, fired at her forehead. Hamuko snatched Yukari's arm and dragged the brunette on top of her as Io shattered into their dimension with a glare trained on the shadows.

That expression changed into shock as the persona was torn away by the high winds. It flew backwards and scraped the spot Yukari had been lying in moments earlier, cartwheeling out of control until it eventually dissipated in the distance.

Hamuko shoved Yukari (relatively gently) off herself after Io disappeared. "Don't summon your persona here! Shadows aren't the biggest threats right now!"

"What?!" The archer cried, heart pounding. "I mean, I get that we shouldn't use personas, but whaddya mean shadows aren't the biggest threats? If they aren't… then what is?!"

Before the operational leader had a chance to reply, the shadows charged forwards. They jerkily wriggled their tentacles with all their might, but for most of the demons, it was all they could do to keep up with the train's acceleration. One of them, inching closer, finally got brave enough to mold one of its tentacles into a sharp spear and point it at Yukari… only to be dragged away by the roaring winds, bouncing once, twice, thrice on the train before disappearing from view with a wail.

The other shadows cried out at that sight, momentarily distracting themselves from watching the front. Thus, they missed a large tree rapidly approaching the train. It's branches harshly scratched one side of the car, sending leaves flying into the air and giving the girls time to yelp and roll out of the way.

Incidentally, the girls' movements also gave one shadow just enough warning to turn and squeal in terror before the tree's stiff branches rent the relatively gooey shadow into pieces. The monster's friends could barely turn halfway before they followed suit, the tree's rough extensions scoring their bodies and splattering the caboose (and the girls on it) with sticky black gunk, slightly steaming as it evaporated.

Finally, as she wiped the muck from her eyes, Hamuko got the chance to answer.

"Everything else! Now hang on, here comes a curve!"

AN: If anyone's confused: Yes, some of the events during the full moon operation are happening concurrently (Meaning, for example, that the entirety of Minato's section [the one that ends with the flare] does not all happen in one minute; Hamuko's section starts in the middle of it.) Hope that makes sense!

Shout outs to: Soulessazn, Slulldom, Mapleteal, Vulc10900, Seeker of Stars, RomanceDagger, Sixth Ranger BetaHalo, Regis JN, Bisckyuu, TsukiNoMe, MashiroNguyen, Bleak Stranger, ArcOfEnd, XxprojectfoxX, shadow12312gx, yuukiakira, Marcatissimo, HasturLove, Enlightened End, and VanitasTheFool(point)1 for following;

Slulldom, Sixth Ranger BetaHalo, Regis JN, Bisckyuu, TsukiNoMe, MashiroNguyen, Bleak Stranger, ShadowHearts99, ArcOfEnd, Uncertain Delusions, SomeRandomBoredGuy, HasturLove, Enlightened End, Cloudy09, Alexiel93150, and VanitasTheFool(point)1 for faving;

and emelian65, Biscione, VastBlueSky, ApplePajama, Yoshikunitsu, blarg7865, crymblade, EmD23, paradoxjr, gu3st, and XxprojectfoxX for reviewing!

In response to:

[VastBlueSky: Haha I know, it's been a while! And hmm, maybe yes, maybe no… Thanks for reviewing!]

[Gu3st: Heh, yep, sorry about that! And yeah, I feel like those are two characters that we don't get to see interact much, so why not give them a scene? And don't worry, Myth Corner should be back in the chapter after next. Thanks for reviewing!]

And finally… who's ready for another round of Lateral files?!

Lateral Files #2: the Kirijo Shadow database

As soon as the late Kirijo Kouetsu became interested in shadows, the Kirijo Group's shadow department began to keep records of the various shadows that they collected, researched, or otherwise encountered. These records were initially compiled as a way for the elder Kirijo to organize the shadows for his nihilistic purposes, essentially grouping them like elements in a periodic table for scientific use. They were originally stored in the highest known security level, level 5, to ensure that no one could breach their lower cyber-security defenses and steal such critical data, or worse, shut down their operation.

(While several theories exist, the reason for their current downgrade to level 4 security is currently unknown.)

The database received a dramatic repurposing after the accident that decimated the Kirijo's shadow research facility. The original shadow database was run on the Kirijo intranet*, but that intranet's central processing unit was located in the research facility, and therefore destroyed in the disaster. Fortunately for the Kirijo group (and, much later, S.E.E.S.), the databases were not entirely lost. This is due to the presence of Kirijo shadow database laptops.

*[AN: That's "in-tra-net", not "in-ter-net." An intranet is a network like an internet, but is only accessible by a certain organization.]

The shadow database laptops were not connected to the intranet, and, in fact, had no capacity to be. The laptops' purposes were simply for access to a portable version of the shadow database, and for back-up purposes in the case of an emergency that would wipe the main databases. Since they contained such sensitive information, they were not only shockproof, waterproof, and generally "everythingproof", but were also incased in a stainless steel covering, making theft of the hard drive all but impossible for any normal thief. (Sadly, due to a serious oversight by the original designers, the laptops are not "magic proof." Thus, with the right application, even the weakest spell by a persona or shadow can bypass the laptop's defenses and easily destroy the device.)

Despite all of that protection, it was impossible for them to survive the roaring explosion at the facility. Thus, it was a stroke of luck that when the facility was obliterated, one laptop was away: that of Kirijo Takeharu, who would soon become the new CEO of the Kirijo Group. His laptop became the foundation for the new shadow database system, although his was less complicated than his Father's version. Instead of connecting the system to an intranet, he left it offline, thus making it harder to access from abroad, but also safer from hacking attempts (This is one of the theories as to why the security level was diminished from 5 to 4.). He left that system in his daughter's care, where she currently still operates both it and the shadow database laptops (plural, since more were created after the others were destroyed).

Aaaand done! What'd you think of that one? (Also, FYI, I'm purposefully using more scientific language in LF's to make them feel a bit more real, but lemme know if it just sounds pretentious, or hard to read, or whatever.)

Special thank you to everyone who let me know what they thought of Myth Corner vs. Lateral files! Basically, I'm getting the sense that everyone's a little divided on it: some people like L.F. better, some people like Myth Corner better, and some just don't care. So, I'm gonna try and split it up as best as I can. You'll probably still have more Myth Corner than Lateral Files (Since I don't think it's a good idea to make up things in this universe just to have something for L.F. I want the L.F.'s to have a purpose, y' know?), but you can expect to have a little more variety in the AN from now on.

Next update… will it be the conclusion? Or am I really gonna drag out the Priestess battle into three chapters? Only time will tell!

If you've got the time, please drop a review or PM to let me know what you think of the story so far. Aside from that… Once again, thanks so much for reading everyone, and I'll see you in the next update!