【Renewal 1】was easily the best thing he could have picked up. Faer didn't realize just how taxed his body was until he had gone to school the following day.

It also put into perspective how shitty he was treating his body, if he had to compare it, it was similar to doing non-stop sprints and never warming up or cooling down. That wasn't to say that he didn't but now the young adult's body thrummed lightly with the vigor of youth.

He wasn't sure if the healing was magical or biological but it was assuredly paying dividends even this early.

Things might be looking up if it weren't for the fact that the reason he had gotten this power -the monks, had far more reach than he assumed at first glance.

That specific van he had followed two nights ago had gotten a ticket in some place called Tokyo. They had shown up to pay off the fee in traffic court but that all but confirmed that whatever the hell was going on with those people wasn't isolated to Tatsumi Port Island.

That didn't necessarily worry Faer, but it begged the question of what the hell some monks from a backwater town were doing snagging people from the city.

What did they stand to gain from these "sacrifices"?

In any case trying to pick a fight with them wasn't going to end the way he wanted it to. That much was clear after the Contractor realized he left his scrambled brains in the corner of an alleyway.

Which would have been his grave if not for his timely growth… but that wasn't saying too much considering he nearly died all the time.

Blood was as cheap as water for him. Death was something that he starred in the face every night so it, eventually taking offense to his existence was inevitable.

That's not to say he's eager to face non-existence again but it wasn't that scary. Hell, he might get a third chance if he stirs up a big enough shit show.

With a sigh Faer draws himself out of his thoughts, class was over for the day and he personally had no reason to stick around, even more so if Akihiko couldn't spat with him due to his injuries.

…

So why was he still here?

Standing from his desk the dark-skinned teen grabbed his bag and made to leave, however as he went to the door, it slid open on its own.

It was that Blue-haired boy from a few weeks ago…

Looking down into his eyes, Faer noticed that the silver iris' reflected… nothing. They seemed to be about as glassy as the dead.

Interesting.

Why was he here?

Faer made no move to speak first, even if the glassy eyed boy managed to convey a sense of curiosity.

There was enough space between them for Faer to get a full observation of the younger boy, he wasn't sure how he could tell, but he was significantly stronger than he was on the rooftop.

It was like standing in front of a still tide ocean as well, just because it wasn't in motion did not mean someone could recklessly dive into its depths.

The silver-eyed teen turned slightly to the side, as if asking Faer to follow along.

…

He had nothing better going on.

A companionable silence settled upon the duo as the junior of the two led the way over to a Ramen shop.

"Two beef Ramen, one with extra eggs and the other with half cut noodles please."

Oh, he was ordering for both of them? Interesting.

As the chef began his work a hush settled in the restaurant.

"My name is Arisato Minato, please take care of me," his impromptu companion said with a shallow bow.

The phrase was said with perfect detached politeness, and given all that he knew about the boy it made sense.

"Jaecar Faer, pleased to meet you."

Oddly, it didn't feel like the older teen was making nearly as many first time introductions as he should. He didn't really talk to anyone and no one really made an attempt to talk to him, besides that he had nothing to really say to most of these people.

They couldn't begin to fathom how different their lives were from his.

He fought Demons and Shadow monsters every night and was a human from another world that lost his name and identity due his own foolish actions.

There wasn't much to him besides violence.

"You've survived the Dark Hour… on your own." An accusation as much as a compliment and yet…

Somehow Faer felt as though he met someone worse at interacting with others than himself.

Che.

"I have."

Short and to the point. If the bl- Minato had something to get at here, he should say it clearly.

Buttering him up was only wasting their time.

"Why? From where I stand you have gained little."

It would be a good question if he was gaining nothing, but getting conflict points for as little as he gained up to this point was reason enough.

In some unknown way it was going to be the thing that sustained his existence.

Sure, the fighting he did over the last few weeks generated little but that was different than what Minato was implying.

Regardless he actually had an answer.

"It's my job." Faer states plainly looking into silver eyes that reflected… himself. "I've been hired as an Independent Contractor by the U.N. to see if I can put a stop to this."

"Can you?"

Faer shrugged simply, what did it matter if he couldn't? If it was impossible then he would simply die before reaching his goal.

The younger boy seemed somewhere between satisfied that he got an answer but unhappy with the answer. But Faer could be wrong considering Minato's eyes did not reflect his intentions.

"Mr. Minato, why do you care?"

The boy stares away from the Contractor, thinking about his answer.

"Faer, I've watched the recordings on the CCTV. To study and discern the best strategies to fight Demons and Shadows."

There he goes again only saying partially what he meant. At least somebody finally said his name right.

Minato did bring up a good point though. If there was one thing that would immediately become clear upon watching him fight, it was that he had no offensive magic.

Sukukaja was a force multiplier for him, but that was a support magic. Guns were useful until he ran out of ammo and magic.

Physical force was all he needed had to survive.

But it was only just that, survival to the end of the night. Sure he got stronger but that wasn't enough when his opponents commanded the natural elements with ease.

Before his fight with the monks he might've thought that physical force was enough, but something about the way that fight went left him wondering if his hits did anything besides move his opponent.

If some kind of human could do that, what would happen when a Demon had that power at its disposal?

…

If close calls were a skill, his would surely be maxed out from how often he had those. But there wouldn't be any walking away from that one without some type of luck on his side.

Luck was a terrible thing to rely on.

"Persona is a power that I don't really get, but you've been fighting this long without using it, you should," the junior explained slowly like he was trying to figure out the best way to say what was important without dragging out an explanation.

"It doesn't work like that for me." The answer was instinctive and he had never given it much thought up to this point, but he got a premonition of death when he thought about it.

"Have you tried?" The question wasn't any louder than the conversational tone they maintained up to this point but it almost sounded like an accusation.

The blue haired Junior did a whole lot of swinging with what little he said, did he take personal offense to Faer's methods?

"No, but I know that it would kill me to try."

Minato finally glanced back at the upperclassmen without saying a word, just in time for their ramen to arrive.

With a small thanks for the food Minato started eating the noodles, whilst Faer picked up his chopsticks with uncertainty.

No food is better than free food.

…

After finishing and paying for their meal Faer realized that their conversation, if it could be called that was never really finished.

And based on the side look Minato was still giving him, he did as well.

"Thanks for the meal. Regarding your concerns, I understand why you're at least trying. From the outside it must look like I have a death wish… I can't really say I am looking to die, but my purpose here will either result in my victory or my death, it's as simple as that. You don't need to worry about me."

The blunette placed his hands in his pockets as he looked the older boy in the eyes and slowly nodded.

It probably wasn't the answer that he was looking for there either but it was something.

But it wasn't like magic abilities were something that he could grow on trees.

It was absolutely insane. Junpei watched as that one overseas transfer student stumbled away from a fight as the Dark Hour came to a close.

He was holding his stomach in as blood freely dripped onto the ground beneath him.

"He looks kinda like he's a zombie with the way that." Especially with the way he had his head bowed down in the video.

"Junpei, don't say things like that! Ugh now I can't get the image out of my head."

Ah, sorry Yuka-tan, this Junpei forgot that you're weak against those kinds of things.

"Nevermind that, what could he have done better during his fight?" Their leader Mitsuru cuts in, as expected of their Military-Ojou-Sama who doesn't "oh ho ho!" nearly as much this Hero thinks she should.

But regardless of that the question was something that he has come to expect from the now Class-President-Military-Ojou-Sama, she was strict about making sure that they learned as much as possible in regards to the supernatural.

Maybe if the whole company CEO thing didn't work out she could be a teacher or a coach or Drill Sergeant.

As for what could have been done better in that fight?

Well, that was a bit of a hard one. Foreigner-senpai fought brutally, especially when he was outnumbered…

"He could stand to not put himself in grappling range so much…" Yukari trailed off, but Junpei didn't necessarily agree with that.

"He only does that when he's sure he's able to turn it into an execution… and I haven't seen any other Demon effectively grapple enough to get out." Junpei states with bullet proof conviction, after all it was clear to see that Ja-Je… Foreigner-senpai knew what he was doing.

"Yeah, but what if something sneaks up from behind him?" Yukari tried to refute his point, but it was useless because he was still right.

"He never goes for a grapple when surrounded though, it's like Akihiko-Senpai said, it's better to take the shot and hope that they'll survive afterwards. Since magic can fix them up."

"But he doesn't have healing magic. Or offensive magic from what I've seen. Just that weird powder stuff from the convenience store and guns that he barely ever uses now…"

Guh, Yuka-tan is making this guy sound so effortlessly cool! Then again this guy seems to be that pure skill build character like Rock Lee.

Actually that does make him sound pretty cool, good luck NTR-black senpai! Even if he does have the build of one he hasn't started corrupting any one so for now this Junpei will cheer for him.

A pout crosses onto Yukari's face as she sees the ball cap wearing boy get lost in his thoughts. "Pay attention and stop thinking about dumb things, Junpei."

"That's a good point, Takeba, if you were in his situation, what would you do? Given limited resources how would you handle the situation?"

"Erm…" uncertainty settles onto Yukari's face as the admittedly tough question settles in.

Their own excursions into Tartarus had been difficult just from the amount of stamina it took to keep fighting on top of that compared to what Ja-senpai had for support they were flushed with help, and yet even with all that he still regularly fought more than they did.

And according to everything that had been recorded so far there hadn't been an exception to this pattern.

What a monster.

That's probably the type of tenacity that Kirijo-senpai was trying to imbue them with, since even Minato fell short of that kind of stamina and it was getting to be pretty apparent that he had that protagonist moxy to him.

In all honesty it did make him a bit jealous.

Which lasted until he got frozen in a block of ice.

…

This Junpei will still find a way to become the hero of this shonen adventure.

But trying to figure out how to handle demon hoards on their own? As they are now? What could they possibly do to match up with that..?

There was a reason why Feather Man was a squad, ya know…

"If at all possible I would mimic what he's doing…" Minato says, totally only causing Yuka-tan to jump, the hero in the making totally didn't forget that his team's secret weapon was in the room despite just thinking about him. He was just thinking about the special appearance Featherman that totally would show up whenever things got too tough and fodderize the opponent before he and the hero dealt with the monster of the week.

Although he definitely wanted to know what he was on about, it was a bit of an obnoxious answer to this question. Of course you would try to master what the walk through does, that's what any reasonable person would do when faced with something they only kinda understand.

But that only works out like that because they probably made the optimal strategy, if some total noob (SEES) tried to copy it, they would find themselves steam rolled.

"We can say that his strategies don't stay completely consistent but where they do, it's because of their effectiveness."

For a moment, the tall handsome heroic sophomore wasn't really sure what he meant until he really thought about it. Competent-Feather-Platinum-Senpai would always try an out of sight ambush and or a long distance shot when engaging.

Then as he closed in he would resort to acrobatics if the opposition was too tough, otherwise he would try to drop into the middle and try to take out as many as he could in the surprise.

A quick combo that usually ended with using his pistol (that he never reloaded) to execute and shift or delay targets…

And uh he never used Sukukaja until his back was against the wall.

"Astute observation Iori. Saving enhancement techniques can turn the tide of a battle, but you shouldn't expect that to always work, sooner or later you all will run into something that can annul enhancements. If you aren't prepared for that possibility you may perish," Mitsuru explains as she crosses her arms and closes her visible eye.

Oh did he say that out loud? Guess all that thinking does pay off.

But he did see what she meant, they all did, having seen that one fight where a Decabria used a move called Dekaja, which had been a set up for a Tam Lin to try to pierce Ja-Senpai's heart.

He ended up getting bailed out by UNDIT Forces that time but Junpei wasn't sure he would've gotten that far yet. He was still in his Training Arc so he didn't expect to be doing something like that until later on, around the summer at least.

"That said, his issue is that for as great as his endurance is, he still generally falls in the trappings of not knowing his opponent. One day it'll cost him if doesn't start picking his fights more wisely?"

Ah there goes Akihiko-senpai, always criticizing his rival.

Junpei personally couldn't wait for the two to finally have their epic clash.

But on a serious note despite that katana wielding second year had noticed that there was little said about his choices while fighting.

For him and Yuka-tan it was always, "why did you choose x over y and explain." Then, "you were wrong about x and somewhat right about y."

It was frustrating that Minato never saw any of that, but Junpei couldn't argue with the footage from the full moon. Minato definitely knew how to use a sword.

More than he did anyway… but he would catch up and show that cool headed boy what for!

But there was one thing he did want to know… or at least ask.

"Does anyone know how his pistol works? Jacker-senpai I mean."

"Way to butcher his name Junpei, better hope he never hears you say that… but that is a good question." Yuka-tan says with curious tone.

"It might be a form of experimental technology. You three haven't been exposed to much of it yet but material sciences have been leaping forward by decades of progress this could be another expression of that." The ever knowledgeable student council president chimes in, with a refined grace as she crosses her arms beneath her bust.

Even when Junpei has no idea what she's talking about, he somehow gets what she means.

Guess that just means he really is impressive!

"Junpei stop looking so proud, you literally didn't do anything except listen to Kirijo-Senpai's explanation. Oh wait, that is an accomplishment for someone like you." Yukari deredied, with a sarchine expression on her face.

"G-guh, hey I just thought that it was impressive that I could learn so much from her speaking so shortly. Kirijo-senpai is seriously impressive like that ya know?" She didn't miss!

"Are you sure it's not because your head is so empty?"

"Hey!" She really didn't ever miss, except for those times earlier today. "I don't want to hear that from someone who can't figure out the difference between Almighty and Bless!"

"Yeah wel-" the popular girl starts, before she is cut off by the sound of Akihiko clearing his throat, "Stay focused, you two can play around when we aren't training," the silver haired boy rebukes the Juniors.

"Ah sorry Senpai. It Won't happen again."

"Forgive me for speaking out like that."

Properly chastised, and refocused Junpei did have to wonder by progress, it should be obvious if there was some major change in technology, right? He wasn't exactly the smartest person around but even he should be able to see a big change like that.

…

Then again it wasn't like he knew about the UN's Demon fighting army either until a few weeks ago.

The rest of the next hour had been spent going over more instances of combat before shifting over to group dynamics and how to maximize the roles that each team mate has.

It wasn't often that Kirijo Mitsuru felt hope. It wasn't often that her plans got derailed because she failed to adjust in the heat of the moment.

Personally it was her biggest failure as someone in a combat commander position. She was too focused on the end state of the operation to adjust for what was needed in the middle.

It was why Arisato had turned out to be such a boon, though he didn't look to be the reliable sort given his body language at first. She now knew it to be a sign of being cool and collected.

He was the right choice to leave in charge whenever her new recruits were being fielded. Arisato was rapidly growing into the leadership role demonstrating qualities she found to be admirable in a leader.

The heiress found that of the four she had direct supervision of Arisato had proven to be the only one she could trust to be out late, hopefully allowing him this much wouldn't put a damper on his performance as a result.

And if his grades slipped, well there was only so much she would let slip by.

"Ya know, now that I think about it. There have been a lot of those Apathy guys wandering around lately, huh? They're kinda creepy." Iori stated as they started to trickle our of the command room.

The boy hadn't been wrong.

There was some kind of relationship that wasn't well understood between the Dark Hour and Apathy Syndrome but it wasn't immediately clear seeing as though while a shadow attack can render someone with it sometimes there was no visible vector of transmission for it.

Sometimes it didn't even occur during the Dark Hour…

"Ugh all this studying has me stir crazy… Minato, what do ya say, why don't we go to Tartarus tonight or go on patrol around town. See a little bit of action. We've spent so much time thinkin' about this stuff, might as well put it to use," Iori proposes with a drawl.

While it was prudent to actually practice these strategies, this situation wasn't one where anyone could afford to be flippant about the stakes at hand.

"Iori, you would stand more to gain out of taking this situation more seriously. Namely your life. This isn't a game."

"Urk! I'm not saying I don't, take it seriously, That is. I do. But erm, we aren't exactly going to get better at this if we don't fight," the boy says scratching the back of his head, refusing to meet the third year's eyes.

It was a valid point, for all of his eccentricities, Iori did take this seriously. Taking to memorizing the Compendium with vigorous effort.

However as dozens of men have proven, it takes more than theoretical knowledge to fight the dark forces at hand.

Even if that educational material was paid for in the blood of dozens, the lesson to be learned might only permeate with practical experience.

Hopefully the sophomore wouldn't learn his lesson on a final note as so many others have.

If it weren't for the specialized cleaners hired by her father's company it's very likely the smell of blood that pervades the Dark Hour would pervade the rest of the day as well.

"You're right, Iori," the Heiress concedes. Smothering them would be no good for their progress. Growth requires consistent time under pressure, after all.

"I am-" before Iori can finish his statement the heiress is already looking towards the only one she would trust to lead this exercise.

"If Arisato chooses to go on an excursion, I will support you three as I have before."

The two other juniors look towards the blue haired teen who hadn't so much as blinked when presented the choice.

"Please continue to support us then, Senpai."

"Very well then. Until you are ready to go your time is your own, spend it as you will."

With that final dismissal the heiress listened to others leave as she walked back towards the console. There was always more studying to do, as fore knowledge made the difference between life and death.

What she didn't know was how one of their own commanded Demons and while she wasn't likely to get a straight answer a bit of fore planning and theorizing never hurt.

"Mitsuru…"

"Akihiko, you're still here."

"With the way my arm has been I shouldn't be fighting. I only just finished fixing the joint, if I fought now, I'd be better off amputating it…" the silver-haired teen trails off.

As the sound typing fills the room a silence fills the air, normally this would be enough for the heiress to get swept up in her own momentum but she could tell there was something the boy wanted to say.

"I'm glad you're taking this seriously," her friend says, breaking the patterned white noise.

In most situations those words would have been her line Mitsuru thinks to herself, but times have changed since they've started and they have changed as well. For the most part the Kirijo heiress thought it was for the better but when things got this quiet between her and the warrior her friend had to become she couldn't help but question it.

"You have something you want to say."

It wasn't an accusation, but sometimes she had to wonder if her words came across in the manner she intended to portray them as. Ironic despite her Persona having a sense for analysis and communication she herself seemed inadequate when conveying the important details.

"I don't approve of you dragging so many people into our problem, but even Junpei understands the direness of this war. I'm glad that you chose to make them practice and practice so much before plunging them into this."

He's rambling, the young woman idly thinks. He was never good at trying to say what he meant either…

"What I'm trying to say is this, even if I don't approve of how this started, I'll support this plan of yours."

Maybe not. Maybe even this much had changed about the boy from the orphanage that her father had hired to guard her…

Despite everything, it was a bitter taste.