Akihiko runs into the twins as they all exit the monorail to make their way to school, the day after their first foray into Tartarus. Despite a short sleep, they both seem just as unfazed as the previous night.
Minato is walking slowly, earphones lodged in his ears, while his sister buzzes around him like a fairy in flight. At a glance, you can't even tell they were fighting for their lives mere hours ago, weapons in hand. He gives them a holler, intent on making small talk about their integration at Gekkoukan.
"Are you both all right? You must be confused since you've just transferred here, too."
The twins share a loaded glance. Minato shrugs as if it's all no big deal and his sister flashes him a bright grin.
"Nah, we're all right. We're pretty used to moving around, too. The last few years have been-"
Her brother touches her elbow gently but stays silent, but she cuts off whatever she wanted to say at his intervention. Awkward, Akihiko hesitates to continue his train of thought.
Okay…
"Well, good, I guess you're both quite different from Junpei. Me, I'm so bored I feel like I could die."
She laughs at the last part of his comment, eyes alight. She's a creature of movement and seems to get what he's trying to convey, which is good. His uneasiness dissipates somewhat and that makes him blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.
"…Hey, is there any way I can sneak in on the fight?"
The twins exchange a glance, taken aback, like he jumped tracks too quickly.
I'm being weird again.
"Nevermind, the consequences wouldn't be worth it."
Akihiko rubs the back of his neck to chase the static sparks away and bristles his short hair, internally defeated. He knows exactly what would happen if he even tried to mingle in the exploration party at night and passing a bad moment as a living popsicle is not on his short list of goals.
Shinji made that happen once and I'm not getting executed twice, thank you very much.
Maybe he went there too quickly too fast with them, or he tackled this clumsily. The bell rings, signaling the upcoming general assembly and they part ways among the crowd of students.
The end of the day happens earlier than he's used to and it's unsettling. With his recovering injuries, he's been barred from the boxing club until the doctors give their approval and that used to take a big chunk of his time during the week. He tried to bypass it, but Mitsuru must have pulled some rank at the faculty office to ensure his convalescence is as painfully boring as possible.
The silver-haired teen exits the building before most of his third year classmates, rapidly attracting a throng of vapid girls around him.
Not again…
Akihiko sighs in annoyance, forcing himself to look at the blank spaces in-between the jerking bodies of his fanclub, whose members are actively trying to attract his attention with a level of noise that makes his ears buzz painfully.
His saviors appear as a nonchalant trio of juniors he knows, making their way down the stairs. Earphones, baseball cap and gleaming hairpins shine like an oasis in a sea of harpies. Junpei seems to be vaguely scowling in his direction, gesturing with exasperation. Looks like he already scotched himself to the duo of newcomers like a fly on a takoyaki snack, as if he was always part of their crew to begin with.
One of the first-year groupies tries to yank on Akihiko's sleeve, on his injured arm no less, and he dodges gracefully out of the crowd toward his fellow SEES members with not even a glance toward his attacker. The harpies part way with a sigh and follow him somewhat closely.
"Hey, are you guys free this afternoon?"
Anything to get out of here and out of that crowd.
There's also some SEES business to tackle and that should take his mind out of his inaction gloom, even if it's just for a little while. Akihiko barely registers that the daring first year and a few others are throwing dagger glances at Minako like she offended them personally, but she seems unbothered by the hostile attention.
Junpei keeps smiling like an idiot, looking at the young girls fawning over his senior like a kid in a candy store. While Akihiko explains he wants them to meet him in the mall near the police station, the twins stay silent and nod.
"…Uh, are your friends gonna come along, too?"
Junpei asks in a small voice, expectant. The boxer shakes his head, looks around and registers the crowded space. It's like they're all invisible or unnoticeable, just a bunch of bodies in the way until he mentions it.
What friends?
"Who, these girls? I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache."
There's a collective sigh, then whispers and an undulation of schoolgirls. Why was this important anyways? Just noise, noise, and things to avoid.
Minako chuckles at his observation, drawing dozens of murderous looks to her, but she brushes it off with a shrug. Her brother hangs back, content to stay in her shadow, but he has an almost invisible smirk hiding under his hair.
Akihiko gives her a curious glance, getting flustered, then skims over the hostile crowd with a flicker of his eyes.
Why are they all staring at her like that?
She didn't do anything that warrants hostility; she didn't even talk and only accepted his invite with a curt nod.
"Anyways, I'm gonna head out, don't keep me waiting."