Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! I hope you're enjoying these little snippets! Now that I've finished P3R myself, I'm a lot more willing and able to put more time into writing these chapters so hopefully they'll keep coming a bit faster than the ten day gap between three and four lol, but hey! We'll see what happens, right? It's been fun to write these so far and I hope everyone's having a good time even though they're shorter than what I usually write.
Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! More to come soon!
Chapter 5 – Night on the Town
A few days after their confrontation with the Hierophant and Lovers Shadows, Fuuka found herself sitting alone at the large table in the dorm's lounge, her laptop resting in front of her as she finished the last of her assignments for the week. Sighing contentedly, she stretched lightly in her chair, relishing the feeling as her eyes finally looked up from the screen. With all her work done, she had time to enjoy the rest of the night. What should she do? Was anyone free? It didn't seem like it, given she was the only one downstairs.
Usually there was always someone else somewhere on the first floor, whether it was Yukari relaxing on the barstools with her phone, Junpei eating instant ramen, Sanada-senpai maintaining his boxing equipment, or Kirijo-senpai sipping tea, studying, or otherwise demonstrating her usual sense of responsibility.
But not tonight. Tonight, it was just Fuuka. Everyone seemed to be a little tense lately and some were actively avoiding each other. It probably wouldn't have been very comfortable if anyone else was around right now anyway.
As she took in the silence of the large room, her mind wandered to the last member of the team. Minato didn't usually spend much time in the lobby. It was fairly rare for him to just sit down in a chair and relax with them for a few hours. He was usually always on the move, she had noticed. This was at least true for the few short weeks she'd stayed in the Iwatodai Dorm, at any rate.
As if her thoughts had been heard by the universe, the doors behind her swung open slowly, drawing her attention. Minato had just returned to the dorm, still in his Gekkoukan summer uniform. It wasn't unreasonably late, but the sun had long since set. Offering a small wave from her spot at the table, Fuuka couldn't help but smile as he returned the gesture, easing the door shut behind him.
"Welcome home, Minato-kun. How was your day?"
The young man with that distinct blue hair crossed the room, dropping his bag on the floor and sinking into the chair next to her with a sigh.
"Exhausting," he managed. "Do you know Odagiri on the Student Council?"
"Only by reputation, I've never spoken to him before."
"Well that reputation of his got him sucker punched in the face today."
Fuuka's eyes widened.
"Oh my…what happened?"
"That stubborn idiot went around accusing every guy he laid eyes on of smoking in the bathrooms at school. He made the wrong one angry and I was a bit too late to stop him from getting punched. So I spent a while after that trying to diffuse things and get Odagiri back on track."
Minato pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger, letting slip another heavy sigh. Fuuka offered him a sympathetic smile.
"I'm sorry it was such a hectic afternoon, but I'm sure Odagiri-kun was glad you were there to help."
"He seemed to be," Minato admitted. "But sometimes I really do wonder why Kirijo-senpai wanted me to join the Student Council. She doesn't need my help; she's more put together than anyone else there by a long shot."
"Hm…maybe she wanted you to help her with the other members of the Council instead of helping her directly with her own tasks?" Fuuka suggested.
"You know, that might be exactly it. They really are quiet a handful, that group. Fushimi-san barely speaks to guys at all, the rest of the Council can hardly stand Odagiri, and he doesn't do himself any favors going on witch hunts like he did today."
"It sounds like you really have your work cut out for yourself with them. But if you can manage to lead our group through Tartarus as well as you do, I'm sure you'll be able to handle the Gekkoukan Student Council!"
Minato finally cracked the second smile she'd seen since he'd returned, light laughter rewarding her for her encouragement.
"Thanks, Fuuka-san. When you say it like that, I actually start to believe it."
"You're very welcome. I'm just telling you the truth after all."
A comfortable silence descended over them for a few moments before Minato spoke again.
"I'm sorry, I didn't even ask – how was your day?"
"Oh, it's okay! My day was fine, nothing special really happened. Natsuki-chan lent me her notes so I can review the things I missed while I was trapped in Tartarus since we have finals coming up. Then I came back here after school and finished some assignments I still had to do."
"Oh great, we do have finals soon, don't we?"
"Unfortunately," she offered with a gentle smile.
"It'll be fine, we took care of the Hierophant and Lovers Shadows, now all we have to do is focus on studying. At least it timed out well enough."
"I'm glad for that too."
"Where is everyone anyway? You're not usually all alone down here," he noted, scanning the room to make sure he hadn't missed anyone in his earlier daze of annoyance.
"Yukari-chan went to her room to research something and study. I think Kirijo-senpai did the same. Junpei-kun went upstairs once he got home and hasn't come back down since. And I don't even think Sanada-senpai has come back at all yet; if he did, I completely missed him."
"Huh. I have to admit, it's strange to see the lounge so empty."
"It's a little strange to be down here when it's this empty."
"Well in that case," Minato began, rising to his feet and seizing his bag before gesturing to the door, "want to get out of this strange atmosphere for a while?"
"Hm?" Fuuka hadn't quite followed what exactly was going on.
Minato laughed lightly again.
"I don't know about you but I'm pretty hungry. Have you had dinner yet?"
"I haven't, no."
"Want to go grab something at the strip mall by the station?"
Fuuka's eyes widened a bit as the reality of the situation finally sunk in. He wanted…her to join him? To go out and get food together?
"U-um, s-sure. I'd…I'd like that," she managed, still caught completely off guard.
"Great. Let me go get changed and I'll meet you back down here in a few minutes if that's okay with you?"
Fuuka gave him an eager little nod as his invitation sunk in a little more deeply.
"That's perfect! I'll go put my laptop away while you do that."
Fuuka felt a sense of relaxation that she hadn't felt in a long time as she wandered through the night with Minato. It was a short walk to the Iwatodai Station Strip Mall, one she made every day, but doing it at night made it feel noticeably different. Sharing that walk with Minato was also a new experience, one she found herself quite enjoying.
They decided on Hagakure, the smell of the usually delectable ramen enticing them from the ground level of the mall. Fuuka had never dined there before. She always felt far too awkward to enter the establishment by herself, no matter how appealing the scents were, and hadn't ever had someone to go with like this. But tonight, she didn't have to worry about any of that. Minato was there to keep the focus off of her and share a nice meal with, something she was very grateful for as they entered.
The ramen shop was surprisingly quiet, only two other people at random ends of the room intently focused on their orders. The owner gave them a boisterous greeting from the kitchen before telling them to sit wherever they liked. Minato asked if Fuuka wanted to take the far corner of the bar counter so they weren't right out in the open, something she appreciated. He was very aware of how much she didn't like to be the center of attention, it seemed.
After placing their orders – two specials – Fuuka finally relaxed and took in the atmosphere. She hadn't been to a ramen shop in a long time, appreciating the authentic charm of the architecture and interior design. It all felt very deliberate, not a decoration out of place or haphazardly chosen. The owner certainly understood and had great passion for the rustic flare of traditional eateries.
"I like coming here," Minato began, smiling as he noticed Fuuka taking in the décor. "The food's great and the atmosphere is nice too."
"It really is lovely," Fuuka agreed, her gaze finally coming back to their corner of the room. "You've been here a few times then?"
"Yeah, some of the guys at school like to come here after class. I've gone with Junpei before, Tomochika invited me a couple times, I think I even came here with Miyamoto on the track team once."
"Sometimes I forget how many friends you have and people you know," she mused. It felt like such an impossibility for her to ever replicate something like that for herself.
"I feel like people just gravitate towards me for some reason. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised for how quiet I tend to be in general."
Fuuka gave him a soft smile.
"I'm the same way so I can definitely relate. But there really is something about you that makes people want to get to know you better. I'm sure everyone in SEES has noticed it too."
"You really think so?"
"Of course; the same thing happened with me, after all."
It took Fuuka a moment to realize what she'd said and felt her cheeks flush when it finally sunk in. Thankfully, Minato didn't grill her about it but instead just offered a kind smile.
"Well, if you noticed something like that, it mustbe true. I've never met someone as observant as you. Or someone who's as right about those observations as you are."
Fuuka quickly waved her hands in front of her, her eyes widening.
"O-oh, no, t-that's not true! I just…get a little lucky sometimes, that's all."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short," he continued, resting his chin on his lightly closed fist. "With or without Lucia, you got a read on all of our personalities in just days and figured out how to help us tap into our new abilities. That's not easy to do, much less when you'd just met five new people you'd never even spoken to before."
"Well…I guess when you put it that way…"
"I'd say it's even more impressive given how…complex the people in SEES are," he added, raising an eyebrow and grinning.
Fuuka laughed at his comment. If the last few days had proven anything, it was that he was exactly right.
"I'm just glad you've found my guidance useful. Being able to help you all, to support you in and out of battle, it's what I really want."
"Then I hope you feel good about yourself because you've done exactly that."
Fuuka was stunned into silence again. He was always so direct and supportive of her. It was an amazing change of pace.
"Thank you, Minato-kun. It's nice to hear such direct encouragement from you especially. I know Kirijo-senpai and Sanada-senpai have been doing this longer than any of us, but there's a reason you were chosen to be the field leader. And I really value your opinion."
"You're very welcome, Fuuka-san."
"Oh, um," she began, but hesitated. It was a bit too awkward a request for her to make so directly and she lost her nerve, clamming up at once.
But Minato wasn't about to give up so easily.
"What's on your mind?"
There was likely no getting out of it now. She drew up all her courage and took a steadying breath.
"W-well…I was just thinking. Junpei-kun just calls me by name now and Yukari-chan has done it basically since we met. If…if you like, you don't have to be formal with me at all. You can just call me by name too…"
She felt a little embarrassed to make a request like that, especially of him. It hadn't really rattled her when Junpei had simply called her by name one day. It felt like a natural evolution of their friendship, certainly after everything they'd gone through with the Shadows. But the idea of Minato doing the same made her feel a bit…hesitant…
'I wonder why…'
She didn't have time to ponder it as Minato gave her another smile, this one a bit more sheepish. Had she made him uncomfortable? Just as she was about to open her mouth to apologize, he beat her to the punch and spoke.
"I don't mind that at all…Fuuka."
Her heart skipped a beat and fluttered all at once when she heard her given name spoken in his soft voice. It wasn't a reaction she'd ever had to being called by name, not when Junpei had done it, not when Yukari had done it, not when Natsuki had done it. But when Minato had done it…it felt very different.
Luckily, she didn't have to trip over her words in an attempt to respond as the owner of Hagakure arrived with their ramen, placing their bowls on the higher level of the counter.
"Two specials! Careful, they're hot!"
Thanking him, Minato first lifted Fuuka's bowl and placed it carefully in front of her before then moving his own into position. Even when it came to something as insignificant as a bowl of ramen, he was so considerate of her.
He really was one of a kind.
"I think I'm starting to understand even more clearly why so many people are drawn to you," Fuuka noted with a pensive smile.
Minato lifted some noodles from the bowl, blowing lightly on them before giving her a smile in turn.
"Well I have to say, no matter how many people I know or come here with, you're certainly the best company I've had in all the times I've eaten here. Thanks for coming with me tonight."
Fuuka felt her mind implode on itself for a moment. She was so stunned she dropped the noodles she'd just lifted into her chopsticks. If Minato noticed, he kindly chose not to comment on it.
"T…thank…you…for inviting me," she managed at long last.
"Any time. Shall we get started? We don't want it to get soggy."
Fuuka blinked several times before finally managing to collect herself again.
"Y-yes! Let's eat."
"Let's."
As Fuuka took her first bite of ramen, relishing in the incredible flavors that poured forth from the noodles and the broth alike, she noticed her heart was still fluttering around in her chest like a butterfly. His comment had really thrown her off and it wasn't just because it was a compliment…
'He…enjoys spending time with me that much? I know him well enough to know he's not just exaggerating things. And that makes me feel…really happy.'
Though Fuuka wondered why exactly she felt that way, she was also more than willing to put all those curiosities out of her mind for the evening and just enjoy Minato's company. Between the ramen, the atmosphere, and her dining partner, Fuuka found herself in the middle of one of the most enjoyable nights she had ever experienced.
'Maybe we'll get to do this again sometime. I'd really like that. I hope he might like it too.'
8/2/24