Iwatodai dormitory - Lounge - Dark Hour - Kazuki
Minako and I made it to the dorm. The peaceful interior lets my body finally drop its guard. I take in a large breath of air, relaxing my shoulders.
"All right, it should be safe now that we made it to the dorm. Are you sure you're alright?"
Minako lets out an exhausted chuckle "I'm totally okay!"
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, I just can't believe I'm still alive after everything I went through today. Hell, can't believe what I just saw today."
"Yeah..."
Huh, she sort of reminds me of me when I first experienced the Dark Hour. It's only been three months, but it feels like I've been doing this longer than just that.
Footsteps from the stairs catch my attention. It's Fuu-chan, wearing some pretty cute pajamas with cats on them.
"Kazuki-kun, what are you doing here?" She rushes over to me. "You're supposed to be in the hospital!"
"I know, but-"
"Sorry, that's my fault," Minako says, bowing her head apologetically. "This is gonna sound crazy, but some psycho tried to kill me! I ran into the hospital to get away from him. But in the end, he found me there, and Kei-chan fought him off."
.Well, at least she has no problem explaining things for me.
"It was a human enemy?"
"Yeah, he was tough. I'm just glad the fight didn't go on for long."
"Come on, you're probably just saying that. I know you had a secret move or two up your sleeve."
Wish I could've said yes to that, but he would have killed me if the fight kept going. He was able to take strikes from Janus, moved faster than I could react, and he's able to use magic without his Persona. But I never got the idea that he was a psycho… Maybe he's just a jerk? Either way, I hope I never see him again.
Fuu-chan wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly.
"I'm glad you aren't hurt and you got here safely," she whispers, rejuvenating me with her voice.
"I can't say I'm not hurt, but I am here."
"...Smooch, smooch, smooch, smooch..." I stare at Minako, irritated by her intrusion. "Two heart-stroked lovers, embracing each other in the warmth of the other; to receive such a privilege is nothing but a blessing. Now all that is missing is a kiss. So kiss."
"Minako?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure this is where you're supposed to be?" I ask, somewhat wishing she said no, even if I already know that's not the truth.
"Huh, what do you mean," Fuu-chan asks.
"I was supposed to come here in late April, but my transfer got delayed because there were some issues with the dorm."
Around April… Ah, yeah, when that big Shadow attacked the dorm. I guess it was a hectic time, and we didn't know if it would happen again. I must've been somewhat hectic with that attack and new members joining, Ikutsuki-san must've wanted to wait a bit before having her come here. Well, her first day here certainly caught her up on the crazy stuff. Speaking of, I never treated her hand.
"Minako, let me see your hand." She gives it to me. There's blood but no wound. It's disappeared like magic. "Your hand is healed?"
"Not a surprise there, I'm a quick healer."
There's quick, and then there's insanely fast. It hasn't even been an hour since she got that cut. Is it cause she has a Persona?
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Fuu-chan asks Minako.
"Right, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Arisato Minako. What's your name?"
"I'm Yamagishi Fuuka. Wait, do you know where your room is Arisato-chan?"
"No."
"Well, guess one of us is gonna have to go get Kirijo-senpai."
"I don't know, maybe..."
Footsteps are rapidly descending down the staircase. It's Makoto, who has his weapon on his hip.
"What's going on down here? Kazuki, what are you doing here, you're supposed to be-"
"Makoto?"
"Minako...?"
Minako goes up to Makoto. They stare at each other with a quiet sense of familiarity associated with two people who have been away from each other for a while.
"Makoto, you…" Minako whispers.
"Yes..."
"YOU IDIOT," Minako yells, catching me way off guard. "You forgot to pick me up at the station!"
"I-I'm sorry."
"I was being chased by a freaking psycho! If it weren't for Kei-chan I would've died!"
"As I said, I'm sorry. I have been busy lately and I overslept because of–"
"NOT! GOOD! ENOUGH!"
Yikes, she's dogging the ever-living hell out of him. That silent, tender moment between them just up and died the moment, subbing in for this ridiculous scene in front of us. And I think it's best if I go, now.
"Fuu-chan, I think we should just leave them be."
"Are you sure?"
"This whole situation speaks for itself."
"I, um, think we should help him."
Minako exuded a monstrous essence that was downright palpable in the air.
"I'll see you in the morning, Kazuki-kun."
"Yeah, see you later, too..."
Fuu-chan and I walk towards the staircase, acting as though we can't hear the several screams for help from downstairs. Sorry, leader, but I have faith you can make it, hopefully.
6/16 Tu - Iwatodai dormitory - Lounge - Morning - Kazuki
I'm fully dressed in my summer outfit, which was me without the uniform blazer, and I also just wrapped my hoodie around my waist. I went downstairs with Fuuka right next to me.
"That was a crazy night for me," I tell Fuu-chan, yawning in between.
"It must've been. So, there are more Persona-users than just us?"
"Maybe, he didn't outright summon one, but he had to be. Also. I-"
All of a sudden, a delicious smell wafts past my nose, catching my undivided attention.
"Do you smell that Fuu-chan?"
"I do, it's coming from the kitchen."
"Let's check it out."
She and I go down to the kitchen, to see what's cooking. Minako is in the kitchen, getting done cooking some eggs and bacon, along with some toast.
"Oh, good morning Fuu-chan, Kei-chan," she greets us.
"Looks like someone is getting ready for a feast," I point out.
"Nah, I only made this much for everyone else in the dorm. Only one person ate what I made, everyone else is already gone. Makoto is still upstairs."
"So this is for us?" Fuu-chan asks to confirm.
"Yeah, so grab a plate and some grub."
As she said, we grabbed some plates and food and went to Chow Town. Fuu-chan ate light, taking one piece of bread. Minako and I took larger portions than her. After Fuu-chan gets done with her food she gets up.
"I forgot something in my room, I'll be back." She excuses herself from the dining room.
"Gonna feel lonely without her," Minako teases.
"I'm not some puppy, you know."
"Sorry, you just seem easy to tease."
"Where did you get that?"
"Come on, don't be so angry. I was just kidding."
I take a sip of my water to calm myself down. She's just messing with you man, just calm down.
"So, how far are you two?" she asks me out of the blue.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how far are you and Fuu-chan in things, you guys hold hands?"
"Yes."
"Give the other gifts?"
"I mean, not really a gift, just school supplies."
"Did you even kiss?"
"No."
"Wait, you two didn't... Did you go in reverse?"
"What does that mean?"
"Ya know... Did she ever expose herself to you?"
"Huh... Wait, huh, no! No!"
Minako laughs at my flustered state. She laughs uncountably as I come to grips with what she suggested.
"Listen, we just started going out, nothing too serious happened yet."
"I see, looks like I assumed wrong."
"Course you did, what type of guy do you take me for?"
"Oh come on, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. If anything, I think her boobs are above-average, just like mine."
My eyes can't help but stare towards her breast. It's not in my place to judge, nor do I care to, but I think they're slightly smaller than Fuu-chans'. Mind you, it's not like I actively look at them, but even I notice these things.
"Pervert," Minako calls me.
"Huh!? W-wh-wha-what the hell is that for?"
"Because you're checking me out."
"You're the one that brought attention to them!"
"Doesn't mean you get to look at them with such longing and creepy eyes."
"I am not longing for anything!"
"Sure, you aren't…"
Geez, this girl, I've never been so agitated before, and it doesn't help that she's obviously having a fun time messing with me. Last night, I thought she was just an energetic girl, now, I don't even know anymore. I'll just have to keep an open eye around.
Gekkoukan high - Class 2-E - Afterschool - Kazuki
I jump out of my seat immediately after the bell rings. I walk to the side of Fuu-chan's desk.
"You wanna go anywhere today?" I ask her.
"Sure, but where?"
"How about we-"
"Ha, found you!" I cringe, knowing exactly whose voice that is. "What are you lovebirds doing?"
"Nothing," I respond, avoiding eye contact.
"If you say so, perv," she says as she laughs.
"I'm not a perv!" I release a sigh of exhaustion. "What do you want?"
"I don't know any of the go-to places in the city, so I was wondering if you guys could show me around?"
"Why can't Makoto do it?"
She pouts and crosses her arms. "Because I'm still mad at him."
"How about Yuka-chan then?"
"She's busy with the Archery club."
I'd ask if Junpei could do so, but I'm sure he already left. What the hell, might as well. It's not like we have anything better to do.
"We would love to show you around Minako-chan," Fuu-chan responds with a gentle expression.
"Cool, thanks Fuu-chan, you're all right in my book. Also, you can just use my first name."
"O-okay!"
"What about me, where am I in your book," I ask with no expectations of good results whatsoever.
"I'd say…49th out of 50."
Minako sticks her tongue at me. Honestly, I can't even get angry, I know that would be a losing battle. Maybe we could slink out of showing her around?
Hakekure - after school
Minako-chan and I slurp down on the soup of the ramen, Fuu-chan is eating it at a slower pace.
"Ramen, nothing like it," I stated.
"Yeah, totally!" Minako rubbed her hands together.
"Guys, now let's talk about the you-know-what."
"Again, what is that?" I ask her.
"Come on! That Dark Hour thingy." Minako rocked her seat.
"Oh, yeah, thought you up and forgot about it."
"Yeah right, like I would."
"Thought as much."
I explain everything to her to the best of my abilities. After having to explain it before, it's not as hard to cut straight to the important bits.
"So, are we the only ones who can move around in that hour?" she inquires, her eyes beaming with curiosity.
"No, everyone in the dorm can move around at that time."
Minako grabs her cup and swirls the drink inside it.
"Can Makoto move around in it?"
She has an uneasy look about her more than she did a moment ago.
"Yes, he can."
She has a grave look on her face. Thinking about how to perk her up, I come up with a conclusion.
"Ya know, Makoto is awesome as our leader."
"Leader," Minako repeats.
"Oh yeah, he's a great leader, if not, he's a natural at it. He's smart, strong, and well, he's pretty cool overall."
Minako goes straight-faced for a moment, she then gives a bright smile.
"Of course, that sounds like him. Perfectly in fact."
She mumbles about Makoto. She clearly admires him, and I can say I have that feeling and still have it.
"Tartarus… Sounds hardcore," Minako says, stirring the inside of her bowl with her chopsticks.
"Trust me, it's more exhausting than you think," I add on. "That reminds me, have you guys gone to Tartarus yet, Fuu-chan?"
"No, we held off on going until you got out of the hospital."
"I see."
Speaking of the hospital, I hope it wasn't too much trouble for Ikutsuki-san to sign me out of the hospital, especially when I left of my own accord.
"So you guys go there every night?" Minako asks. I shake my head. "I guess that makes sense. So when are we going?"
"No idea. gotta talk to Makoto-kun is the one who decides when we go, and our senpai needs to authorize it."
"Hmm...interesting." She finished her bowl by slurping the soup inside. "Delicious! This was great!"
"I know, this is the best stuff I had yet," I agree with her.
"And after the best stuff, you know what you gotta do?" Minako asks, waiting for one of us to respond.
"What?" Fuu-chan asks
"Karaoke!" Minako replies, getting all hyped for it.
"Karaoke!?" I repeat, just as excited.
"What's the matter, too-"
"I'm down!"
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah, I always wanted to go to Karaoke with friends!"
Other than Naoya, nobody was ever down to go with me for obvious reasons. So there was no way that I would back down from an opportunity like this!
"Alright then, let's go! Fuuka, you down," Minako asks, pumping her fists into the air.
For a moment Fuu-chan seems to be a bit apprehensive but smiles at us. "Sure, though, I'm not too good at singing though."
"Don't worry, just belt it out and you'll be fine."
"If you think so..."
After paying for our food and drinks we left for Karaoke. Not going to lie, Minako was pretty good at singing, Fuu-chan kind of missed a few of the lines but seemed to be having fun. Me on the other hand...I don't wish to speak of it. But overall: it was fun as all hell... Even if it seems like a small thing, I'm just glad I was able to go out and do Karaoke with people.
Iwatodai dormitory - Fuuka Yamagishi room - Kazuki
Being outside a girl's door at night is strange, I get that, but you know why you're here. I have to return the notes Fuu-chan lent to me for the days I missed. I might sleep in class every now and then, but I still need to maintain my average grade. I told Fuu-chan I'd swing by to return them, so… Good, it's open.
"Fuu-chan?" I whisper to let her know it's me.
So, this is her room? A pink, low, round table in the middle of the room is the first thing to catch my eye. There's a cubby full of flowers on the right-hand side, with a duel-speaker next to it. Her room is well-kept, as expected.
Right, as for these notes, I'll just leave them on her desk.
Placing them on her desk, I glance at a notepad… It would be rude of me to see, but… No, I really shouldn't… Okay, just a peak.
Hmm…are these places? Yeah, it is, the mall is even listed here. Most of them have "x" marks next to them.
"Not a likely date spot."
Date spot… Did she make a list of places she wanted to go with me?
Most of the places she said weren't good enough seem good enough to me. But going to just one seems a bit short... Hmm... I got it! I pick up the pen that sat next to the notepad and I start writing into the notepad. After I finish, I rip the paper out of the notepad carefully and I fold it into a small enough shape to put it in her hand. I slip it into her hand. Even after finishing up anything to do in this room, my body sticks to this spot like glue... Her lips. Why didn't I notice before, they're so cute and small, but so…alluring.
"Crap, why am I so fixated on them?"
I look at them for what feels like hours. Damnit, I just need to leave! I rush out of the room as quietly as possible. My heart is beating like a drum. Shit, it's like it's trying to bust free. Just calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down...
"Sup, lover boy."
My body jumps from someone's voice calling me out. I turn to find Minako sitting at the table near the stairway in sweatpants and a tank top, holding a cup in her hand.
"What are you doing?" I ask her, keeping my voice hushed
"Getting my midnight drink for my midnight reading. What are you doing."
"Can't you just read in the morning, besides, isn't it hard to see the words?"
"My eyes are the best, plus I'm used to reading in the dark, it's not even an issue." Well, that's a feat that I kind of wish I had. "So to backstep, what are you doing up here? Mind you: this is the girl's floor."
"I...came to see how Fuu-chan was doing."
"Hm, she seemed fine this morning."
"Yeah, but... I mean, how she's adjusting to SEES. She was thrown into all this pretty quickly, and it has me a bit worried." I walk over to the chairs near the vending machine. "I feel like she was rushed into this. She should've been allowed to adjust to the idea before officially joining."
"But is that really bothering you? She told me she volunteered to help." I guess she has a point there, and it appears that she's able to see that isn't the only thing on my mind.
"You're right, that's not what's bothering me. What's bothering me is the fact I'm still weak."
"You seem pretty strong to me."
"...I got my ass handed to me while I was trapped in Tartarus, they didn't even break a sweat l. It made me feel…like a little kid who can't defend himself."
When I awakened my Persona fully, I thought I was as strong as I ever would be, but even when I unlocked it, I still wasn't strong enough to beat one person. I'm not broken up about the fact I lost but at how powerless I was. If someone like that decides to threaten to kill me or the team, I won't be able to stop them.
"...I understand where you're coming from; feeling powerless and all that."
"Really? Was it with Katsu?"
"No, this was a long time ago. A time when I nothing but a weak little orphan
"You're an Orphan?"
She nods. "I lost my dad in a car crash, and I was six years old when my mother was killed."
"Killed by what?"
Why the hell did I ask!? I'm just stepping on a metaphorical landmine.
"To this day, it's ruled as an accident, but something tells me that it's not that. Well, it's not like I can prove it, and it's not like I want to anyway," she muttered at the end. "While I was living in the orphanage, I was picked on by the other kids, mostly because of the color of my eyes."
"You're eyes, why for," I ask as I look at her eyes. The crimson in her eyes is a key feature that I failed to notice. There's a beautiful yet darkening hue to them.
"Because the other kids said they were weird; because they were scary." She touches her eyelid, her fingers trace it. "I hated my eyes so much back then. I thought about taking them out at one point. Of course, I couldn't do it, and it would've been stupid as all hell."
Being treated differently for no good reason, it's the same shit no matter what, and it just pisses me off; like what the hell is wrong with us? Minako suddenly perks up.
"But that changed when Makoto came to the orphanage."
"He's an Orphan too?"
"You didn't know?"
"No."
"Well, I remember the first time I saw him, his hair was covering his eyes. I thought he was covering them from others, but when I saw his eyes, they didn't seem sad at all, they were calming." She's in pure bliss, her cheeks brightening up. "The first time I ever talked to him was after he defended me against some bullies." She plants her hand on her chest. "He was like my knight in shining armor..."
Hearing her talk like this; a normal girl was a bit different. She's usually easily excited, short-tempered, rambunctious, and kind of like an excitable kid. Her eyebrows jump up suddenly. She glares at me, her girlish demeanor is gone.
"Hey, I poured my heart out to you but this doesn't mean you can tell anyone else, okay," she stammers. The change in attitude didn't annoy me. I just chuckle at it. "H-hey, what's so funny?"
"It's not your story, it's just... I never thought I never meet someone like me."
"Like you? What do you mean?".
"What I mean is, I wasn't treated fairly either when I was young; I-"
A sound from downstairs interrupts me.
"What was that?" Minako asks, jumping up from her chair. The noise is still coming from down there, I look down from the rail but I see nothing on the second floor.
"Hey, what is that."
"I don't know but go get your weapon from your room Minako, we might need to get physical."
"Okay, I'll get it quickly, just wait for me."
"No sweat."
She runs to her room and I head downstairs. Reaching the lobby, the door is half-open. There's a plain white folded-up paper with my name on it. I open it up.
"Come to Tartarus, our fight isn't over yet."
This has to be that masked guy from the other night.
"I'm here!" Minako approaches us from the stairs. She has her weapon in hand and she's dressed in her Gekkoukan uniform. "What's that," she asks, pointing to the letter in my hand.
"I think I've been invited to a fight."
"Want me to tag along?"
This letter might lead me to a trap, and I have no reason to go. However, if I don't go, the fight might come here…
"Minako, we're going to Tartarus."
A smirk forms on her face. "Finally!"
"Why are you excited?"
"I never thought I'd be going there for the first time behind everyone's backs."
"Well, I wouldn't think of it like that, but whatever. We need to get going if we want to make it."
"Lead the way."
The lobby of Tartarus, Dark Hour - Kazuki
Inside the enormous lobby of Tartarus, the masked guy - I'll call him M.G. for short - is sitting on the staircase, watching us. At least, I think he is, I can't tell what the hell is going on behind that mask of his.
"I see you brought someone along with you," M.G. points out.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"
"It was stupid enough of you to even come here," M.G. scolds me without malice or a cocky attitude, just a blank tone. He gets up from the staircase. "Well, no point in calling out your naivety. The only question that needs to be asked is this: are you ready?