7/11 Sat - Gekkoukan high - Class: 2-E - Morning - Fuuka

Entering the classroom, Shizuka-san is sitting in her seat, far removed from the usual energy of the room before classes start. A preferred choice, especially with what I wish to speak to her about

"Shizuka-san, are you busy?" I politely ask her.

"No, why?"

"Last night, the team I'm with went to-"

"Do you wish to ask me about what happened to Kazuki last night..." Straight to the point. "Don't worry, I'll be looking into whatever that malicious entity was…"

"What can I do to help?"

"Not much you can do to assist me."

"But I want to help Kazuki-kun, too. let me help you!"

"As I said, your assistance isn't required, all you would need to do is monitor him and nothing more."

She won't budge, no matter how I come across.

"Shizuka-san, why are you helping us?"

"Well... I have my reasons."

"Are you using Kazuki-kin for something?"

She still expresses nothing. She just stares at me as if this conversation means nothing to her.

"And what would you do if I said yes?" The late bell rings before I can even respond. Kazuki-kun rushes into the class with his bag in hand. "You should take your seat now. And do not worry, I'm not trying to get him killed... I simply aim to make him strong."

Gekkoukan high - Class: 2-E - lunch - Kazuki

I'm sitting at my desk at my desk with a loaf of bread in my hand. Right when I take a bite out of my bread, Fuu-chan enters the class. Her head jerks towards me. She makes her way to me.

"Sup," I greet her.

"If you're not busy, can I speak to you on the roof, right now?"

"About what?"

"I'd like to speak about it in private."

"Okay, I'll need you up there."

"Alright, I'll wait for you on the roof."

She leaves the classroom. I wonder what she wants to talk about.

Gekkoukan high - roof - lunch - Kazuki

I followed Fuu-chan up to the rooftop. Pretty windy today, which is nice in the summertime. The girl of the hour herself is sitting on a bench, scribbling something down in her notebook. She stops writing in it as she notices me.

"Good, you're here."

"Of course, but what did you want to talk about?"

Fuu-chan looks over into the distance of the cityscape, her hair and clothes lightly swaying as the wind pushes past.

"Kazuki-kun, I…"

Gekkoukan high - Class: 2-E - Afterschool - Kazuki

Kazuki has been in a depressive mood all afternoon, he even got mistaken for falling asleep by Ekoda…

"Kazuki, are you alright?"

"This is terrible," He murmurs to himself.

"What is?"

"M.G., this is terrible!" Kazuki's voice trembles.

"Kazuki, what is going on?"

"We're gonna die!"

Okay…not the answer I expect, but curious nonetheless.

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"My Fuu-Chan is going to cook!"

"What are you talking about, I don't see the prob-"

My brain for the first time in all my sixteen years of life, has lagged.

"W-w-why is this my problem?"

"Because she wants you to join us as well!"

"Join in on what?"

"The party for everyone on SEES's recovery. They're being cleared to leave the hospital soon, and I said you would love to join in."

…And another emotion that I haven't felt in a while springs up; anger.

"Why would you say that?"

"She was so excited, and she asked me if you like to join."

"I don't."

"Why!?"

"I want to keep my organs in working condition."

"Please, you have to!"

"Why should I?"

"I will complain and beg you to until you do!"

How obnoxious. It doesn't sound so bad, but thinking it over in my head, it would gradually drive me up the wall… I suppose I have no choice but to go, to keep him quiet.

"Fine."

"You mean it?"

"Yes, damn it," I bitterly curse.

"Sweet!"

"But if I do this, the food has to taste superb, because if it does not… I'll give you a taste of what hell is like."

"...Yes, ma'am..."

Iwatodai dormitory - Lounge - Evening -Kazuki

Fuu-chan told me she wanted to get back to the dorm as quickly as possible, so she left early. I was stuck with clean-up duty, not that I mind; cleaning is my specialty. I open the door to the dorm, Fuu-chan is watching TV with a notepad on her lap.

"Yo, Fuu-chan."

She swiftly changes the channel and closes her notebook.

"Oh! Welcome back."

"What are you watching?"

"There's was an interesting news report on something and-"

"What's with the notebook?"

"Nothing!"

"Is it for what you're making for tonight?"

"No!"

"All right…then why did you change the channel?"

"You surprised me."

Why do I get the feeling that isn't the case? I put my bag on the couch and I sit next to her.

"Man, I'm beat."

"Was clean-up duty rough today?"

"Not really, it's just I had a hard time convincing M.G. to come over and eat with us."

"Do you think Kirijo-senpai will be okay with her coming over?"

"Hmm, push comes to shove, we can always tell her that she's a Persona user."

"I don't think Shizuka-san would like that."

"I was only joking, of course."

Hmm, joking aside, I need to see where her headspace is with this whole cooking thing.

"So, are you confident that your food is gonna come out…fine?"

Gritting my teeth to not say the wrong thing here.

"No, why?"

"No reason... I'm just hyped."

I hate myself right now.

"You are? Maybe I should get started then."

"Don't!"

"Huh?"

"... I mean, you should try to cook it tomorrow; you know, so it's warm when they get home. You know what I'm saying?"

Despite how desperate I sound, she smiles and nods her head as well. "That sounds like an excellent idea!"

Whew, crisis avoided.

"Well, in that case, do you want to eat this?"

Fuu-chan pushes a bento box to my chest… Crap.

"Does it look good?" she asks me, her voice hushed.

"Looks great."

I put on the best smile I can put on. I hesitantly pick up the chopsticks and I put the food in my mouth.

"So, is it good?" Her eyes beam with excitement and anticipation.

"It's... okay?"

It still tastes weird, but it doesn't make me want to go to the bathroom.

"I have more if you want some more."

"That's okay!"

I put the box on the table and I take Fuu-chan's hand.

"What do you want to do now?"

"Can we watch a movie?"

"Sure, it's Sunday tomorrow anyway, so we're good."

"Okay, let me go get my computer and I'm gonna change into something more comfortable."

"Yeah, I think I should do the same."

We get up from the couch and make our way to our room. She's changing in my room and I change into the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, we're back downstairs watching a movie. It's some sci-fi movie about humanity in the far future. Personally, I'm more into action movies, slower movies aren't my thing. Fuu-chan is having a good time though, so I can sit through it.

My thoughts are on that notebook she was writing in... Say, maybe I should see what she wrote in it. It might be in her bag, she took it to our room

"Hey, Fuu-chan, I'm gonna use the bathroom."

"Mhm."

"Fill me in on what I missed."

"Mhm."

She isn't listening to me at all.

Excusing myself from the couch, I head straight for the second floor.

I open the door to our room. I spot Fuu-chan's bag. Okay, time to loot this thing; what am I saying, I just want to see that notebook… Here it is.

"Let's see, where are those recipe notes..." I flip through the book until I find the pages with the recipes on them. It's a list of what everyone would like, going by their eating habits, and dietary habits in painstaking detail… It's nothing but thoughtful. She really wants this to go well, and this book shows that wish…

What the hell am I doing? Here I am, seeing nothing but the worst of all of this instead of giving her my support. Some boyfriend I am. I put the book back in her bag.

I got back downstairs. The movie still playing in the longue.

"Fuu-chan, I'm back."

She's fast asleep. Guess even she can get tired during a slow movie. I sit next to her.

"So, on Monday, they all come back. Well, it looks like our time alone is over… It's too bad because these past few days by ourselves were wonderful… I wish it could have lasted a little while longer."

7/13 Mon - Iwatodai dormitory - Kitchen - Afterschool - Kazuki

Immediately after we returned to the dorm, Fuu-chan rushed me to the kitchen. We went on a food shopping spree yesterday to get everything ready for today. Of course, I paid for most of it; wallet-kun, thank you.

"Okay, Kazuki-kun, are you ready!?"

"Looks like one of us is excited about this, ain't we?"

"We're cooking for our friends, we need to be positive, right!?"

"You're sorta scaring me."

"You have to say right, too."

"R-right!"

With Fuu-chan's excitement peaking, we get cooking. Since we - I - need this to go as planned, I'll be the one to cook. As long as I have a cookbook, i'll be fine. Fuu-chan is just preparing the things we need to make the food for tonight.

"Ow!"

Fuu-chan's small yelp drags my attention to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Let me see your hands."

She had cut her finger. The cut isn't deep, but it needs to be patched. I got the pack of band-aids I bought from the store.

"There, all done."

Despite it being patched up, she still looks hurt, and I take it isn't because of the wound..

"I don't belong in the kitchen, do I?" she asks in a defeated tone.

"That's not true. You have every right to be in here. Don't let one cut get you down, keep trying until you get it right."

The speech seems to have worked. She perks right up with a more determined look on her face.

"You're right. I shouldn't let one mistake stop me. Let's work even harder!"

"Yeah!"

Our work continued, with a few minor hiccups along the way, but through teamwork, we managed to get through it in the end. After hours of hard, tedious, and careful work, all our efforts paid off.

"We're done, we really did it," Fuu-chan happily says, celebrating our success.

"Yeah, and it all looks great too… This all looks good. Maybe we should taste test, just to be sure."

"No, we need to leave it as is. That way there won't be anything missing. We also need to set this up. We don't have much time left before everybody gets here."

"On it, chef."

Nice save there, Fuu-chan. I might've said "a taste test", but my stomach was asking for more than that. But I can't blame the thing, it smells so damn good.

Iwatodai dormitory - Lounge - Evening - Kazuki

By the time Fuuka and I finish setting up the food, the door to the dorm opens with a loud creak. Okay, the moment of truth.

"Sup, guys, we're back," Jun radiates a joyful expression from his voice.

"You don't have to be so loud," Yuka-chan barks at him.

"Come on, I'm not that loud."

"You really are."

"Can you both be quiet," Sanada-senpai reprimands them. "...Hey, do you guys smell something?"

"Yes, this smell...delectable," Kirijo-senpai adds.

"It smells too good to ignore! I gotta have me something to eat!" Jun rushes over to the dining table, he finds the plates of food on it. "Whoa, dude, Kazu, you make all this?"

"Not by myself." Fuuka comes out of the kitchen. "She helped, too. So thank her too."

"I-I hope everyone enjoys the food," she nervously says, bowing her head to everyone.

"Well, you heard 'em. Let's eat!"

Jun immediately takes a seat. He takes up a plate and places food on it.

"Hey, don't just serve yourself," Yukari scolds him.

"Better get some before Junpei eats it all," Sanada-senpai jovially tells Kirijo-senpai.

"Agreed."

"Oh, let me serve you all," Fuu-chan offers.

"I'll help, too."

My phone vibrates in my pocket as I'm about to help Fuu-chan. It's a message from M.G.

"I arrived at the dorm. Now what?"

What an awkward message.

"Um, come in," I respond.

"The food won't kill me, right?"

"I cooked it myself!"

"Should that be a good thing?"

"Just come in already!"

The door opens. M.G. enters the dorm. I can tell by her body language that she's feeling awkward about this.

"You made it," I greet her.

"Kazuki, who is this?" Kirijo-senpai inquires.

"Right, she's another person who helped us as well."

I'm saying that so she earns a reason to eat with us.

M.G. approaches the table, facing Kirijo-senpai with a pleasant smile on her face. "Sorry to come unannounced, I am Shizuka Rin. I am a second-year at Gekkoukan high, in class: 2-E. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you, Shizuka. I'm Kirijo Mitsuru."

"I know. You are the heiress to the Kirijo group, and not to mention, you are the student body president."

"You're well informed."

"It's only common knowledge to know who you are." Honestly, I don't know if that smile is genuine or fake. Either way, it's good to know that she can be sociable. "...I hope I am not intruding by being here."

"It's fine… I suppose since you aided them in this endeavor, I'll allow it."

"Thank you, for your kindness."

"Guys, can we eat now!?" Jun eagerly asks, dying for senpai to say yes.

Jun is practically drooling at this point.

"Yes, but where is Arisato?" Kirijo-senpai points out her absence.

"I'll go get her." Yuka-chan heads upstairs to go see Minako. A few seconds pass, and Yuka-chan comes back downstairs without Minako. "She said she wasn't hungry."

"Really, I thought she'd be down here? Ah, oh well. Can we eat?"

"I suppose so," Kirijo-senpai says with a soft smile.

"Woo, finally!"

Everyone takes a seat at the table. They eat the plate of food in front of them. M.G. just stands in between the kitchen and the lounge. I walk up behind her. "

Why are you just standing there? Come on, pull up a seat."

"Oh, right..."

"Shizuka-san, you're a guest here. You should eat, too," Fuu-chan assures her.

"R-right."

M.G. takes a seat between our senpai. She picks up a fork and picks up a piece of pork. She puts it in her mouth, chewing on it to get a feel for the texture. Both her eyebrows rise and her eyes wide open. She swallows it.

"This is delicious," Shizuka praises.

"I agree. It has a tender texture to it. But also has a juicy, flavorful taste. Truly wonderful," Kirijo-senpai adds, giving us her seal of approval.

"I am glad you like the food," Fuu-chan says

Seeing everyone enjoying themselves while eating and talking to one another. It makes all this worth it.

Iwatodai dormitory - Kazuki/Fuuka - Late night

Fuu-chan is resting beside me on the small bed.

"So, that was fun," she says.

"Yeah, it really was."

"I'm glad Shizuka-san came around; she looked like she had fun."

"You think so?"

"Couldn't you tell?"

"No. Guess I wasn't paying attention. But I'm glad."

But was she? Maybe Fuu-chan was just seeing things? I don't know, I just can't see it...

"So... Are you excited?" she asks me out of the blue.

"About what?"

"Seeing me in a bathing suit. Would you like to see me in a bathing suit?"

"You in one..."

Oh right, the trip! We discussed going on a trip for the summer. To an island named Yakushima. And Fuu-chan in a swimsuit…in a swimsuit…swimsuit!

"Y-yeah! I'm fired up!"

"Re–really!? Well, I hope I can impress you then."

"Don't worry, just think about how fun it'll be."

Still, I'm worried about what's up with Minako. And don't get me started on that man in the suit. What are they planning? Is it okay for me to go on break while the threat is still at large? Hmm, I don't know. I'll just deal with whatever comes. For now, I'm gonna catch some zzzs'

Iwatodai Dormitory - Arisato Minako's room - Dark Hour - Minako

Pain surges throughout my body, preventing me from sleeping. It's as if someone is slicing open my skin with a dull, rusty knife. Every inch of my body is suffering and there isn't a thing to be done.

"Such agonizing torture. I'm amazed you're able to control yourself from screaming out in pain."

The entity, who is the cause of this pain, watches me squirm on the floor.

"You..."

"Me giving you my power isn't 100% perfect. It comes with side effects, since you're human, of course. However, the fact that you lived through the initial pain when I transferred it is simply marvelous. So I doubt you'll not live through this."

He says that, but at this rate, my body will give in to the pain. No, don't give into this! You have to stay alive!

"As you may know, you will have a trip to Yakushima soon. I want you to go. As for why? To witness what will transpire."

"Wha–"

Again, the gnashing pain assaults my body, stabbing at my nerves, boiling my blood, and scrambling my brain all at once. If I give in to the pain, I'll lose my mind, I just know it. I have to endure, endure, endure, endure, endure, endure, endure…

"The pain should be coming to an end soon. I suggest you take it easy. Until the next time."

"Wait!" I stop him before he could leave. "Ma... ko... to!"

"You have enough grit to ask about him? You are devoted. Worry not, he is still alive. However, that all depends on you."

He disappears into the darkest corner of my room. Even with his absence, the pain continues. It's too much, too agonizing! I want to plunge a knife into my chest and get it over with already! But…I can't… I have…to keep going. To save…Makoto!