Sokila quietly painted, looking rather contemplative.
"Hikari Horaki...your Ehm-priss..."
She had fashioned a rather ornate crown about the girl's head.
"...Margaret-senpai once said that she was the Ehm-priss of her Guest..."
Frowning, she painted a rough caricature of Margaret.
"...I wonder if that means she'll become as strong as senpai?"
She pondered that thought, and impulsively frowned at the ramifications.
"...you'd better not get her upset!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Thursday: September 17, 2015/
/Courtyards, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari quietly listened to the chatter of other students as he made his way to the Junior High Branch.
"-you saw her? For real?"
"Yeah, Horaki-san was apparently here to meet with the faculty early this morning."
"Why do you think she was absent? Was she sick?"
"She'd have left a doctor's note in that case! I bet she's become a Persona-user."
"Huh? Why?"
"Think about it: her Class has got those three Evangelion people in it, right? And ever since that guy transferred here in June, both Aida and Suzuhara got one. And that Yamagishi girl from 2-E became one as well over the summer break, and she hangs out with 'em all the time!"
"...really makes you think. What if-"
A third voice interrupted the two. "Shut up you dumbasses, he's walking near us!"
Shinji said nothing as he continued walking, even as he noted their pace intentionally slowed so as to let him move away. I can't really blame them, he thought. It's normal for them to wonder about that sort of thing...but it's not like we had anything to do with Kensuke, Toji, and Hikari dropping into the Metaverse near their Shadows. Right...?
It was a very light thing to wonder about, relative to everything else. Even now, he still wasn't sure how to broach the subject of Asuka and Hikari becoming an official part of Statherós...because by doing so, it would open up their eyes to the Truth, with a capital T. And how would the Usurper act upon realizing this? Maybe I should take Hikari's own advice, he mused, thinking back to their conversation from last night. Just focus on one thing at a time...
"Good morning, Ikari-san." He looked over his shoulder, watching Mayumi Yamagishi quietly approach. "Are you well?"
"...for the most part, I guess." Desiring to change the subject, he asked, "I heard Horaki-san's already here, today?"
Mayumi nodded. "I think she came straight here from NERV." After a second's hesitation, she asked, "I don't know if you heard, but it was determined that our first group training session with her will be Saturday, after school. So...will you be free to join the Literature Club this afternoon?"
Shinji blinked, briefly stunned to realize it was already Thursday. "...I don't see why not," he allowed, hoping that the mission load would start to lighten up as they got further away from the new moon.
Mayumi lightly smiled; however, in doing so, he was finally able to witness a bit of melancholy. (Why?) "Then I'll see you then."
The bell soon rang, and classes ensued.
xxxx
Hikari Horaki's presence in homeroom was an immediate target for gossip.
She cemented her return without hesitation once Fuyutsuki-sensei entered Class 2-A. "STAND! BOW! SIT!"
The impulsive response by the classroom was a return to the status quo.
"Welcome back Horaki-kun," calmly said Fuyutsuki-sensei, who immediately proceeded into the day's lessons.
Nonetheless, questions were quick to come during the brief gaps between periods; despite how many other students mobbed around her desk, she remained very calm and composed in her responses:
"I was absent due to a Metaverse incident; I cannot discuss any further."
"I am fine; I cannot discuss any additional details."
"I was recovering due to slipping into the Metaverse; I cannot discuss any further."
"I'm afraid I cannot elaborate any further."
Etcetera, etcetera.
At some point, Shinji got some texts from Kensuke.
K. Aida: i dun get it C.C;
S. Ikari: get what?
K. Aida: it's not like havin a Persona is a well-kept secret
K. Aida: and me and Toji aren't exactly getting mobbed ಠ_ರೃ
S. Ikari: it's kind of a bigger deal with Horaki-san though?
K. Aida: explain
S. Ikari: She's the Class Rep. And she was absent for two straight days.
K. Aida: ...
S. Ikari: Kensuke?
K. Aida: yah, she would b a bigger deal than me or Toji (╯_╰)
S. Ikari: are you okay?
K. Aida: lemme mope sarcastically in peace! lulz
S. Ikari: how do you mope sarcastically? Is that possible?
K. Aida: watch me! }:D
He looked over at Kensuke's desk, watching his friend frown with immense exaggeration. Does that count as moping sarcastically? He rotated in his seat, looking behind towards Asuka Langley-Sohryu. She was sleeping at her desk, as expected; after going on a mission during the night, it was only to be expected. Glancing over towards Ayanami's desk, he noted her absence; it was her turn to work during the daytime. Which means if we have missions tonight, it'll be on me...I hope I'll at least be able to go to the Literature Club...
And so classes continued.
xxxx
When classes concluded that day, Asuka decided to settle something, if only because she had a bit of free time to do it.
Her Other shook her head good-naturedly.
"It's a rather small thing, to be honest...is it truly worth picking at it?"
That jackass made an offer, and I'm going to follow up on it. Asuka made her way to the Junior High gymnasium, following the directions to a particular side room where the sound of fists hitting bags and gloves echoed from within. Stepping inside, she looked around with a critical eye as other students sparred and worked on their boxing form. Hmm...passable.
"You must be the foreign transfer I've heard about," said an unfamiliar boy.
Asuka looked towards the older student, who at least had a couple of years on her: shaggy brown hair, steely eyes, and a bit of stubble. Overall, he came across as serious without coming off as a tryhard. "What, did my hair give it away?"
The boy snorted. "I'm Shinjiro Aragaki, the Boxing Club's health advisor. You here to join?"
"If only because I'm here to knock some sense into a certain someone," she remarked, eyeing a certain Kaworu Nagisa testing out a new leather bag. "And also to give me something productive to do when I'm not 'on the clock', because apparently your culture makes a big deal out of extracurricular activities."
Aragaki huffed; if he was upset by her little dig, he didn't show it. "First things first," he said, pulling up a clipboard and flipping to a particular page. "Read it and sign."
"Health waiver?" she asked, guessing at its purpose.
"Got it in one. Standard fare: if you act like a dumbass, that's on you."
Asuka, grimacing at some of the characters, nonetheless got the gist. "Fair enough." Signing the waiver, she then asked, "So what now? Can I go over and punch Nagisa in the face?"
"That's just being a punk; keep it to sparring in the ring." He caught someone's eye and waved them over. Asuka eyed the tall boy with light hair approaching them, bearing a more youthful face than Aragaki yet possessing proportions indicating he was somewhat older than Asuka herself. "We've got a potential new recruit, Aki."
"The new Evangelion-user," the boy murmured, critically observing her. "I'm Akihiko Sanada, captain of the Junior High Boxing Club...you're rather toned for your age."
Asuka arched an eyebrow. "Is that a surprise? Do you not know what Evangelion-users do?"
Akihiko shrugged. "My only real experience was when Shinji Ikari visited back in July...and Nagisa-kun took him out with one punch."
"...are you pulling my leg?" That had to be a joke; the Third Child wasn't that weak, was he? Nagisa had to have gotten a lucky shot in. (The thought that Kaworu had actually been that strong, regardless of how much of an A.T. Adept he apparently was, was too absurd to contemplate.)
Aragaki shook his head. "I saw it myself."
"Which is why I'm not letting you spar with Nagisa-kun, if that's what you're aiming for." Tapping at his chest with a gloved fist, Akihiko added, "I need to see if your form is up to snuff first, before you spar with any other members; I'm not making that same mistake again."
"...fine by me." She hadn't expected a chance to proverbially one-up Shinji Ikari, but she'd take it!
Asuka Langley-Sohryu accepted the hand-me-down training gloves, headgear, and mouthguard; inwardly resolving to get her own equipment if she ended up joining this club. Who decides to color it green instead of red or blue? Bizarre. Nonetheless, she ignored the curious stares from the other boxers, who were doubtless shocked that a girl was willing to sign up for their club. Doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman: you may find yourself needing to fight for whatever reason or another. Turning towards Akihiko, she raised her gloves and pounded them together. And some people find more reasons than others...
"You definitely have the air of a fighter about you," remarked Akihiko, his hands covered by punching mitts. "More so than Ikari-san, at any rate. So let's see your technique."
"Fine by me," Asuka managed to gargle past her bulky mouthguard.
What ensued was a slow escalation of jabs, hooks, and straights at varying speeds; whenever Akihiko tried to get cute with an odd and awkward angle, Asuka would outright ignore it and go for a punch to the gut (which Akihiko invariably blocked with his other mitt). This lasted for a few minutes before Akihiko halted it. "Not bad for an amateur; definitely a lot of self-taught movements, but not bad."
Asuka yanked a hand out of a glove so she could easily pull out her mouthpiece. "The things I fight don't tend to care for 'proper technique'." Some Archetypes and Shadows did, but only if they were related to martial arts or sports in some way. Usually. "So I went with what works."
"And I suppose that's why you ignored any unusual positions I threw out with the mitts?"
Asuka shrugged. "Why aim for something I'm not going to actually run into?"
Akihiko snorted with a smile. "That's an amateur talking if I've ever heard one. You'd be shocked at the angles some punches could come at."
"Well, anything that comes at me from an odd angle usually gets blasted with fire. Or lightning. Or my soul. Hint hint." Because she wasn't dumb enough to just manifest Unit-02 to prove a point.
Akihiko chuckled, seemingly understanding her intent. "Far be it from me to debate an Evangelion-user on what's effective for them...but if you're going to be in the Boxing Club, you will learn how to box, and box well. I won't tolerate sloppy technique from anyone."
The club's captain was solid, Asuka had to admit; he was acknowledging her own capacity as a combatant while likewise demanding a standard to be upheld insofar as boxing was concerned. She could respect that, if nothing else. "So when can I punch Nagisa in the face?"
Akihiko laughed. "You'll get a chance to spar eventually. But there's no need to rush; let's introduce you to the rest of the club first."
Asuka patiently went through introductions; some of the other boys were certainly less than enthusiastic, but the majority at least acknowledged the fact she had willingly gotten into the ring with Akihiko without complaint. After getting introduced to Miki Sanada — the captain's sister and the club manager, rushing in from some other study group with a word of apology — she finally came face-to-face with Kaworu Nagisa at one of the punching bags. "Hallo, Arschloch."
"Wir treffen uns wieder, Fräulein Sohryu," Kaworu seamlessly responded, uncaring for her insult. "It is a pleasure to see that you accepted my offer, Asuka-chan."
"Spare me the 'chan'," she grumbled, even while Miki Sanada made strangling motions in Kaworu's direction in her peripheral vision. "When I get a chance, I'm knocking you on your ass."
"I look forward to seeing your fists of love with my own two eyes~"
"...say what?" she retorted with bewilderment.
"Well, your fists are lovely." Holding his own hands up for comparison, he added, "Not as lovely as mine, of course; but perhaps you'll prove me wrong?"
"...you're such a damn weirdo," she griped, turning away with a huff. I still can't believe he apparently took down Third with one punch. More than that, he had apparently been the one to save Shinji Ikari during that whole 'yakuza fight club' fiasco.
(September the 8th, 2015: as a cluster of teenagers ate at KiKi Ichibanya, she quietly listened as Shinji Ikari reminded his fellows of some particular details from the 8th of August. "What most don't know is that I was saved by Nagisa-kun." When Hikari expressed her shock, and Kensuke suggested the possibility that Kaworu was an A.T. Adept, Shinji simply replied, "I can't really remember the details. All I remember is that...well, he made it look effortless.")
Something smells rotten, she inwardly thought, resolving to find out what the whole deal was with Kaworu Nagisa...even if he seemed to delight in pissing her off.
xx
Kaworu kept a smile on his face as Asuka walked away, even as his mind pondered. So...she actually took the bait. How interesting.
Time would tell as to whether or not any worthwhile fruit would be borne of it.
xxxx
(As Asuka was getting introduced to the joys of the Boxing Club, the Literature Club was wrapping up...)
xxxx
Shinji Ikari had actually declined to continue reading The Tragedy of Hamlet that afternoon; mostly because the other club members were going through their book reports: a process which had begun earlier that week.
It was honestly quite interesting, listening to their presentations. However, the absence of one club member from class 1-B had prompted a bout of subtle melancholy from Yamagishi. (Curious, that he could differentiate between melancholic moods by now...)
His Other rolled his eyes.
"Is it so surprising, that you are able to sift through other's gloom?"
He put on some glasses for emphasis.
"Or is it because you are surprised to be so familiar with another...?"
As people began to depart, Shinji quietly made his way towards Mayumi. "Yamagishi-san, are you okay?"
"Ah. I'm fine." Looking over towards the other club members, she remarked, "I guess I didn't expect Mizuno-san to be gone..."
"Gone?"
"...ah, you weren't here on Tuesday."
"What happened on Tuesday? Did something happen when Kensuke visited?"
Mayumi, oddly flustered, quickly blubbered, "I-It has nothing to do with Aida-san!" Briefly composing herself, she said, "It has to do with another club member; Mizuno-san said that she would be transferring schools, and so Tuesday would be her last day." Looking down at the small book in her hands, she added, "I think someone in her family passed away during the last new moon...and family obligations require them to move away to handle their affairs..."
"...ah." That sounded rather difficult. (Like you're in any position to make commentary about someone's family affairs.) Taking a seat in one of the beanbag chairs, he asked, "Were you two close?"
Mayumi, to his surprise, shook her head. "Well...until you joined the Literature Club, I rarely interacted with any of the members outside of it. You were the first one I spoke to outside of this club with any regularity...and then with the summer vacation, I made so many more friends, and...well, you were there. You know what happened." Composing herself, she added, "Mizuno-san and I weren't that close."
"...so then why do you seem upset?"
"I guess it has more to do with her situation..." Smoothing out her skirt in an attempt to occupy herself, Mayumi said, "Two days ago...Katsuragi-san informed me that I have a cousin on my father's side. I still have blood relatives."
"...oh." That was actually a pretty big deal. "Do you know who it is?"
Mayumi shook her head. "Only that she's my father's niece, and that she lives in Osaka. Other than that...I don't know." Sighing, she murmured, "I don't want to think about it, but I also can't help but think about it..."
"Why?"
"Hm?"
"Why don't you want to think about it?"
"...because then it makes me think of my parents." With a tilt of her head, her long hair fell like a curtain over her face. "I'd accepted their circumstances. I had tried to make peace with that." Because their very existence had been corrupted by the Angel Armisael, she left unsaid. "But this? This tells me that before I entered the picture...they were actual people, with a tangible connection to others. And to think about that potential...and wonder how things could have been...it starts to hurt." For emphasis, she balled a fist against her chest. "And I wish it didn't..."
On some level, Shinji understood the desire to turn away from something painful. Yet on another level, given his own strange relationship with his father, and the mystery involving his mother...the prospect of finding out he had additional family would have been too appetizing to ignore. "...I don't think it's something you can run away from, though," he offered by way of encouragement. "Because this cousin of yours...does she know anything about your father?"
"...I don't know. Katsuragi-san made it seem like she did, if I recall..."
"Then she may have memories of who your father used to be. And I don't think that's a small thing." He recalled his various conversations with Fuyutsuki-sensei and Futaba Maruki: they had all hinted at a time where his mother had been vibrantly alive, and his father had not been so distant. "Would it really be so bad, to have an idea of who your father used to be? As something other than what Armisael made them...?"
Mayumi placed her hands in her lap, saying nothing; however, from what he could see from her face, she was merely contemplating. "...objectively speaking, it wouldn't be. Subjectively speaking, I feel like it would only result in more emotional pain...but that's not fair to whoever my cousin is. And it's probably not fair to my parents, either..." Sighing, she looked up, brushing her hair out of her face. "I know what the proper thing to do is...but actually doing it is the hard part."
Obligations. Duties. A heavy burden that all had to carry, to some degree or another. "...it won't disappear just because you look away," he remarked. (Oh, how true that was; every obstacle and every stumbling block before him would remain, even if he ran away...and so what would the point be?)
"I know," she admitted with a nod. "I know..." Forcing a small smile onto her face, Mayumi added, "Thank you for talking with me, Ikari-san. I have a lot to think about..."
Shinji nodded, inwardly feeling like he understood her even more...
xxxx
As the evening rolled on, Shinji found himself back at the Izanagi Dorms.
"Welcome back," said Kaworu, who was casually squeezing a stress ball. "So it turns out Asuka-chan joined the Boxing Club."
Toji — in the middle of studying at his desk — and Kensuke — reading from his Sinbad book atop his bunk — both looked with alarm in his direction. "Wait, how long have you known this?!" exclaimed Toji. "Ken and I have been here for, like, an hour!"
"Waiting until Shinji-kun arrives means I only have to say it once~"
Kensuke sighed dramatically. "Great, like Sohryu-san needs to be any scarier."
Shinji titled his head. "Why would that be?"
Kensuke flatly replied, "Imagine her with Nagisa-kun's boxing ability."
Shinji thought about it, and it was his great fortune that a mission came up so that he wouldn't have to think about it for the rest of the evening.
xxxx
Over at the Izanami Dorms, Rei Ayanami — after informing Shinji that the night missions were up to him to handle — entered her room.
"Welcome back," chorused Hikari and Mayumi, who were both studying at her desk.
Asuka merely grunted, as she was shadow-boxing in a corner of the room.
Rei, staring flatly at Asuka's movements, quietly turned towards Hikari.
"Ah...she apparently joined the Boxing Club this afternoon," explained Hikari. "Not that I'm unhappy Sohryu-san's joining one of the extracurricular sports clubs, but it's certainly not one I expected..."
"To be fair, it's one with more applicability to our work in the Metaverse than most others," offered Mayumi.
Asuka, still in the midst of throwing out combinations, remarked, "I only joined so I can punch Kaworu Nagisa in the face. It's just a matter of time until the club captain allows me to spar with the jackass."
At this, Hikari and Mayumi couldn't even fault her, aware as they were of Nagisa's infamous reputation.
Rei, letting none of her true feelings show, simply nodded. "I see. I will be taking a shower." As she entered the bathroom to refresh, her mind quietly churned. Kaworu Nagisa...
(September the 8th, 2015: As Kaworu stepped away from their table at KiKi Ichibanya, Rei quietly confronted him one-on-one as to what his plans entailed. "Planning? Planning is how things go wrong." With an ominous chuckle, he added, "Ayanami-san...the Second Child has no need to fear me. What purpose would there be in unduly harming her? If anything, she's in more danger from whoever will rise to face her during the New Moon. This whole little escapade of ours will be a mere sideshow.")
...I only hope this 'sideshow' is only that, she pondered, even as cold water streamed onto her head.
Such thoughts continued to trouble her, even as the night wound down...
xxxx
END OF 9/17/2015
xxxx
Author's Note: Over on the Sufficient Velocity forums, someone asked the following: "The thought just occurred to me, how long has Shinji been reading Hamlet? It's felt like forever since he started reading it, like months. But maybe that's because of irl time."
It's a decent question, so an answer came promptly!
Part of it is gameplay and story segregation, where (because he's reading a rather old and somewhat antiquated translation) how much Shinji can read in a sitting is based on his Knowledge stat.
Another part of it is that, what with it being formatted as a play instead of a conventional story, it's harder for him to read.
The largest part as far as our protagonist is concerned simply comes down to Shinji being habitually introspective about himself, and wanting to think about any particular parallels between the events of the play and his own life/relationships (which is only natural given that his original Persona is Hamlet).
/and of course
/you have the min-maxers in the back yelling "Social Links come first, he can read the stupid play later!" :V
Anyhow, Hermit is now at Rank 7!
/it's funny
/but it's rather crazy how short most of P3's social link scenes are, relative to later games
/completely unrelated note
/but Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is way too fun
/at least I don't feel the urge to write fanfic for it like I did with Xenoblade 3, so that's a slight positive for me XD