9/2 - Wed - Iwatodai dormitory - morning - Kazuki

Here I am, sitting on the couch with nothing better to do, watching channels catch my eye. There's no school, no one here to talk to, and no idea what to do. Yep, this is amazing…

The news keeps going on about the incident yesterday. They keep going in circles over what the cause is, but none of them know. Other than that, nothing much on the monsters that Shizuka and Fuu-chan fought, not even the one I killed. Did they find it, or was it still alive?

My phone goes off, knocking me out of my brainless stupor. A text message from Sanada-senpai. Kind of weird that he's texting me since you'd think he's the type of guy to keep to himself. "Meet at the Iwatodai strip mall", is all it says. Talk about vague. But hey, at least that gives me something to do today…

Iwatodai Strip mall - morning - Kazuki

It didn't take too long for me to get here, especially with this briefcase. I took a quick peek inside, and to say the least, that was a bad idea. Senpai is standing on the railing on the top floor of the second floor. I climb the stairs to meet him.

"Hey," he greets me with his usual stoic expression. "Sorry for calling you out here out of nowhere."

"It's okay. I brought the case you wanted."

"Thanks."

He takes it from my hand before turning back to the shop we're standing in front of; Hagekure.

"So, why do you need it?" I ask, standing next to him.

"I'm trying to bulk our numbers."

"A new member?"

"No. An old one." I thought Kirijo and Sanada-senpai were the only ones in SEES before us second years came around. "Here he comes."

The door to the ramen shop slides open. A tall, intimidating man, wearing a red overcoat and a beanie, exits the shop. The presence he gives off is razor sharp, and the scowl on his face only makes it even more nerve-racking to be near him.

"Shinji," Sanada-senpai opens with, thrusting the case toward him.

Irritation creeps onto his face, sneering at senpai. "You're starting to get on my nerves."

"The situation has changed. We need you back."

"Like I said the last time you asked, it ain't gonna happen."

"I'm not asking this time…"

Intense! You can practically see them duking it out with just eye contact alone! Is it really okay for me to be here?

"Amada has a Persona."

The guy named Shinji leans forward, surprised by the mention of Ken. "You're kidding me!?"

"I'm not. Ikutsuki recommended him, and the kid even volunteered. He's one of us now."

Shinji drills holes into senpai's eyes, but senpai doesn't back down, only keeping the case at the tall guy's chest. After what felt like an eternity of lighting being slung between their deadly glares, Shinji lets out an exhausted sigh.

"...Is my room still vacant?" Senpai nods his head. "Fine, count me in." He takes the case, although reluctantly. His attention finally draws to me. "Who's this?"

Did he just notice me!?

"This is Kazuki Kei, one of our new members."

I snap my legs together and bow without wasting a moment. "I-I'm Kazuki Kei! Nice t-to meet you!"

I reacted on instinct. He's just too intense for me to handle!

"Yeah, well, I'm Aragaki Shinjiro. I guess we'll be working together for a while."

"Nice to meet you, Aragaki-san."

Just smile and don't panic. He's not some sort of monster, he's just a person like anyone else…

"Let me ask you something," he says, giving me a curious look. "Why are you fighting?"

Why am I fighting? Being asked something like that out of the blue is odd. Not because I don't have one, rather, it just sounds like I'm being tested.

"I'm fighting to protect everyone," I confidently answer with a smile.

Iwatodai strip mall - Wild Duck - morning - Kazuki

Sanada-senpai places his tray on the table, taking a seat across from me. All I got was a drink.

"Sorry for calling you out of nowhere. Everyone else was out, and I needed that case."

"It's no problem, senpai."

I take a sip of my drink, wondering what I should bring up to not let this be an awkward tight bite.

"If Shinji put you off, then I'm sorry."

"What!? No, that isn't…"

"...He's just been acting out lately."

"It's okay… Actually, now that you mention him, does he go to school? I never seen him around before."

"He said he's taking a break from it, but that just means he stopped going."

Something must've happened for him to quit SEES and school altogether. But asking about it doesn't seem right. Plus, it really isn't any of my business.

"Wait, just to clarify, he is my senpai, correct?"

"Yeah. He would be a third year right now."

I better just treat him with as much respect as I can.

"Kazuki, mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Back when Shinji asked why you fight, you said you fight to protect the people you care about. Was that the same reason you joined SEES?"

I stir the straw in the cup. "Yeah. I had no other reason. Why?"

"When me and Shinji were asked, we accepted without any hesitation. But we had our reason. We desperately wanted to become stronger, so much so that we threw away our fear of death."

"Wow. You two are incredible."

"Although, when you answered, I didn't get the same hint of desperation as when we joined, or even when you joined us. There was no desperation, only absolute certainty." I'm not desperate? That should be a good thing, right? So why does it sound like he's chastising me for that? "...Or maybe I'm overthinking things. Who knows."

He finally takes a bite out of his burger. His analysis was daunting, and it only lingers in my heart as I allow it to settle inside my brain. There shouldn't be a reason for it to be daunting, yet it is.

"Then, senpai, are you still desperate, and for what?"

There's a pause in his movements. His eyes lock in on me, stunned by my question.

"I am, and what I really want is power." Power? "There was someone I couldn't save, no matter what I did. They were stuck in a horrible fire, and I couldn't do anything to save them. That's why I wanted more power, so I didn't have to feel that weak ever again."

"Is that why you're a boxer?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't enough. No matter what, the opponents I faced in the ring couldn't help me reach that point. When I realized that, I felt even worse. But then, Mitsuru came to me, and gave me the once-in-a-lifetime chance to go higher."

So he's been carrying such sadness for all this time but never let it show. Instead, he chased after his goal of growing stronger without succumbing to his sorrow. Senpai is truly amazing.

"I lost someone too," I tell him. "My mother died in a house fire, and I was the only one who made it out."

"I see… Sorry for your loss."

"It's fine. To be honest, I barely remember much from the accident. It was when I was 3, so I guess my memory of that time was never gonna be easy to recall."

Except for that peculiar feeling I felt that day. The sky was clear blue, birds were chirping, a light breeze brushed past my face, and my small body felt warm. When I saw the people who rescued me, their faces twisted in pure disgust. Looking at what they were viewing… A nauseating sensation rushes through my throat. I barely choked it down before it came out of my mouth.

Senpai stands up urgently. "Hey, you okay!?"

"Yeah, yeah…I'm sorry. I just tried to remember too much, was all."

"You don't have to push yourself if you don't want to. I know there are some things people want to forget."

Yeah, I know too damn well that there are things I want to forget about. But I don't want to drag this conversation through the mud. We need to get onto a lighter subject.

"So, senpai…you're popular with the girls," I mention from the top of my head just to fill for conversation.

"Oh, yeah. Being a boxer comes with its cons, and the girls are one of them."

Shock!

"Um, well, senpai. I don't think it's that bad. Just imagine all the supporters you must have."

"They squeal during my matches and they end up distracting me."

"That's not too bad."

"No matter where I go, they follow me. Even stalking me from the men's restroom."

"Okay, that's a bit too much."

"There's also the fact that they keep bickering over me like a pack of dogs over leftovers. Honestly, women give me a headache."

Wow… I kinda feel bad for him and his fangirls; they'd probably die of shock if they heard him saying all this.

"Um, ah, but you seem good around Kirijo-senpai."

"That woman is another type of headache. The difference is, she at least doesn't annoy me, and it's a given since we've been teammates for a while now."

Figures. The two of them have been at this the longest, so even if he says she's a headache, they get along well. Although, the fact he even said she's a headache shows how far back they go.

"But that being said, Kazuki… You and Yamagish are together, right?"

"Y-yes!"

"And since you are… Can I ask you something…important?"

"Umm…sure. Go ahead."

"Well, since you're…clearly in a relationship with her, I just want to know… How were you able to flirt?"

That's it…?

"Huh? You want me to tell you how I flirted with her?"

"Y…yeah."

This is too unusual. Seconds ago, senpai was cool as a cucumber. Now, he's acting all embarrassed.

"Why are you asking?"

"I…I just want to know… How do you flirt with someone, damnit!?" Silence fills the restaurant, eyes gawk at us from every side of the restaurant, and my brain is officially fried. The cool and proud senpai before me has been turned to dust. All that remains is a husk of his former self. "So? You gonna tell me or not!?"

"O-oh! Oh, right! Well, you see, I, um…"

Wait a minute, when have I ever flirted with her…? Hmm…hmm…

"I got nothing," I answer, ashamed of my lack of experience.

"Seriously!? Not even once?"

"Zero."

We sink into our seats, not even daring to move a muscle until someone breaks this silence.

"I'm sorry," Sanada-senpai says curtly.

"It's fine… Let's just never mention any of this."

"Don't worry, I don't plan on it."

9/5 - Sat - Paulownia Mall - The Dark Hour - Kazuki

The mall is dead silent, like the rest of the city. The hustle and bustle of this place was always natural, but seeing it like this is unnerving, just like it was when I first went to Tartarus. Eventually, it stopped affecting me, and now, the quiet streets, the coffins, and the blood are all familiar at this point. Is it like this for my senpai?

Junpei isn't here. Everyone thinks he's just skipping the operation for tonight. I can't say whether that's true or not, but I just hope he's okay. But right now, he's the furthest thing from my mind. All I could think about was the Shadow. A part of me dreads to see what this thing is capable of, but another is excited. The thought of defeating it motivates me. This is unusual. I'm not gung-ho about fighting, but I can't stop thinking like this…

"Do you detect anything?" Kirijo-senpai asks Fuu-chan.

"It's faint, but…it feels…so distant. Why cannot find it?"

Fuu-chan never had a problem finding a Shadow before. She even looks like she's straining herself.

"Alright, we'll all have to split up and search for it," Kirijo-senpai orders.

"No, wait!" Fuu-chan pleads. "I can do it, I can! Please, just give me a moment!"

Why does she sound desperate?

Fuu-chan dives deeper into concentration. She's mumbling words from her mouth. From what little I can make out, she's praying. Her delicate voice utters the words from the bottom of her heart, desperate for her prayers to be answered.

I never seen her this distraught before. How is this thing hiding from her sight so well? Maybe it has some sort of invisibility ability!? That would be pretty bad if it did, and if it does, then how am I gonna hit it?

"Below."

The word suddenly appeared in my brain. There was no voice, just the word. All I see are my feet and the ground of the mall. Yet, I can't help but feel like there is something down there, spread out in several directions, tangled together like a spiderweb. Each web has something running through it, traveling from one end to the other. But they all seem to be coming from somewhere, and going to another place. It crackles often, almost like…

"Electricity," I mutter. "Electricity…wires… The shadow is using power lines!" Everyone turns to me, baffled by my sudden outburst. Even Shizuka, always collected, appears confused. "The shadow must be using the electrical wires to hide."

"How do you know?" Aragaki-senpai asks, being the quickest to regain his composure.

"Um, I just thought it was like last time, where one of the shadows took over the monorail. So maybe this one is doing the same."

The electricity is being focused toward club escapade. Though, how am I supposed to tell them that? Last thing I need is for them to think I'm pulling this out of nowhere.

"He…he's right," Fuu-chan exclaims. "The shadow is using the wires…but I can't tell where its main body might be."

Whew, close one. Glad I didn't come out weird from that one.

"Hold a minute. This might be nothing, but I heard the manager for Escapade complaining about canceling a show because of some electrical issue," Aragaki-senpai says. "The controls for the power is beneath the club."

"Then that settles it." Kirijo-senpai takes center stage, readying orders for us. "Akihiko, Aragaki, and Kazuki, you three will handle the shadow." Yes! "...Everyone else, we will head underground to cut off its connection to the underground wires."

We all nodded our heads to her orders. Sanada and Aragaki-senpai head for escapade.

Shizuka walks up next to me. "Don't use Shadow-mog in front of them," she whispers. "The last thing we need is everyone asking headache-inducing questions."

I hesitate before I answer her. "...I'll try my best."

She leaves without another word, joining the others and heading for the underground of the mall. I don't think I'll need to use it since I'll be fighting alongside my senpai. Although, this is gonna be my first time seeing Aragaki-senpai's Persona, and from what I heard, he's strong.

"Wish me luck, Fuu-chan." She doesn't return my request. Her thousand-mile stare catches my attention almost immediately. "Fuu-chan, are you okay?" Fuu-chan snaps backward, startled, for some reason. "Were you dozing off?"

"Wha– No, no, I was… It's nothing, forget about me."

She says that, but her mood says otherwise. It is a full moon tonight, and seeing how there are only three of us going, I can't blame her. I'll give her nothing to worry about.

"Don't worry, Fuu-chan, I can do it. That shadow is as good as gone."

"Kazuki," Sanada-senpai calls. "You ready?"

"Once we get down there, you better not slow us down."

Sanada-senpai narrows his eyes on Aragaki-senpai with a disapproving look. "Shinji…"

"I ain't gonna sugarcoat it. If he is, then he might as well go with the others."

He's right. As harsh as his words are, I don't sense that he means bad. Besides, I have to prove to him that I'm a reliable ally, so there's nothing to complain about.

"Don't worry. I won't slow you down, senpai."

He doesn't change his expression, but rather, he turns his face away from me. "Then let's do this."

He pushes open the door to the coffin-filled club. We move towards the back of the club, climbing on the stage. There's a trap door leading up here. Aragaki-senpai pulls it wide open. Dry, humid air wafts past us.

"I'll go first." Sanada-senpai climbs down the latter, holding his evoker in one hand. Aragaki-senpai follows behind him. Griping my sword, I sling it over my back as I get into the hole. Good thing I don't have a fear of heights; hopefully I don't have a fear of underground rooms.

"Persona!" Sanada-senpai summoned his Persona already!?

"Kazuki-kun, Sanada-senpai and Aragaki-senpai made contact with the shadow!"

"G-got it!"

Come on, come on, hurry down the latter, man! I drop down the last few feet from the ground. Inside the underground power room, a bundle of huge wires, rooted into the ground from all over the room, are placed together to create a humanoid monster. Sparks of lightning zaps around the electrical wires. A ghastly scream echoes around the room.

Lighting buildings in front of its mask. Sanada-senpai summons his Persona. From its resistance to electricity, the attack diverts to the other end of the room.

"Start summoning," Aragaki-senpai yells, putting his Evoker to his head. "Castor!"

"Janus!"

Our Personas close in on the shadow. Several copper wires tear out of the ground. They tie up both Personas. Can't…move…! My neck… Too…tight!

"Shinji, Kazuki!" Polyduces rips the wires out of the ground. I can breathe again!

"Aki, cover me," Aragaki-senpai yells.

"Got it."

Both senpais charge off without a word to me. Thunder dances around the room, striking everywhere it can reach. The air is growing electrified as time passes.

"Kazuki-kun, back up our senpais!"

"Kinda busy…dodging!"

Each strike riles up my nerves, and the smell of burnt metal doesn't help. My sword can take the strikes, but who knows how long I can keep that up.

Meanwhile, both senpais fight their way to the Shadow. Thunder booms and cracks whenever I strike at them. Sanada-senpai takes the brunt of the damage while Aragaki-senpai pushes forward. Wires spring out of the ground, but senpai cuts them down with his axe.

"Castor!"

Again, he summons a being riding a one-legged horse. Without it, it looks similar to Sanada-senpai's.

The horse's hoof stomps the Shadow on the mask. The force of two giant creatures crashing into one another creates a shockwave.

"Janus!"

It crashes into the Shadow with its fist out. Both personas hold it at bay. However, a bolt of lightning rips through them. Pain surges around my chest. Damnit, we can't pin this thing down!"

"Everyone!" Fuuka sounds dire, almost desperate. "The Shadow– It's building up power! If it keeps building power, then I think it'll unleash all of it on the area."

That sounds bad…

"There isn't much time!"

The others are attempting to cut the wires underground. We should be able to avoid the worst case if they hurry. But what if that isn't enough? That thing could have more than enough power to destroy a portion of the mall. Then waiting for the others to get something done isn't it. I need to kill it.

Running ahead, I summon Janus to defend myself from an attack hurling my way.

"Kazuki, wait!"

Sanada-senpai calls out to me, but I can't stop now. A bundle of wires burst from the ground, aimed for me. A single swipe of my sword renders them useless. Just keep going.

"Janus!"

Janus guards me from another lightning attack. I leap on and off its back. He's destroyed when a wave of wires pierces his chest. Mine flares up in agonizing pain, but I bite down on my lip. At this height, I can stab through its mask, and since it can't move, it can't dodge. This fight is mine!

"What!?" A dull impact. Thick wires, bigger than my whole arm, shields the enemy's face. "Yo-you're kidding me…"

"Kazuki-kun, get back!" Blue light shines from the back of the enemy. Three light bulbs, brimming with bright light. "It's going to unleash a powerful attack! Run!"

I'm lifted off my feet before I can run away. Castor - Aragaki-senpai's Persona - hurries me away from the Shadow. It was too late. An incredible blue light fills the room. An electric charge dries up the surrounding air.

"It's coming!"

"Polydeuces!"

Castor guards me with his whole body. A deafening sound assaults my ears. An unbearable heat wraps around us. Castor begins breaking apart, but it keeps holding onto me while enduring this hellish attack. Eventually, the pure blue light dies down, and the Shadow groans.

Castor disappears altogether. I hit the ground on my back.

"Shinji!"

Aragaki-senpai is kneeling on the ground, coughing into his hand. He clutches his chest with one hand, and claws at the ground with the other one. Despite the horrendous pain, he fights to stand back up.

"You…idiot! Quit worrying…about me!"

"Stop, you're too injured!"

"But I ain't…dead…"

Even with his injuries, he still wants to fight… What am I doing? Why the hell am I holding back? They're giving it their all, but here I am, not giving it my best too. I'm such an idiot!

"Sanada-senpai, heal him!"

Darting ahead, I ready myself to finish this. Uncover it. That awful, nauseating feeling; a feeling so disgusting that I can't even stand it. The familiar sensation of power empowering me flows through me. With this power, I can do it! Because my senpai are giving it their all, I have to do the same.

"Here I go."

A large portion of my energy leaves my body and pours onto my blade like a raging stream of water. The Shadow shrieks in terror. Wires rip out of the ground, threatening to rain down on me, piercing through my body.

A single swing of my blade eviscerates the wires and the Shadow. The wind howls behind the blast, rushing past me at a rapid pace. My attack explodes when it touches the wall. The warm summer air whistles past me at a break-neck pace…

"It's still alive…"

The shadow, despite incurring massive damage, clings to life. Nothing but a few strands of wires hold up its crack-riddled mask. It lets out a low, tired moan. Any fight it had left was destroyed by me. I approach, walking with an eased posture. There's nothing it can do to change the outcome. All it can do is wait for its death.

Standing in front of it, it tries to guard with what little remains of its arms. A part of me can't help but feel bad for it; similar to a wounded dog in the rain. On the other hand…

"Sorry."

That word comes out of my mouth, yet it's hollow.

A single swipe of my sword is all it takes to tear through its mask. The Shadow instantly melts into nothingness. A sick feeling always washed over me when they did disappear like that, but after all the fighting I have been doing these past few months, it feels…fulfilling.

"Kazuki-kun!" Fuu-chan's sudden interjection scared the soul out of me. Her tendency to do so doesn't do me any favors. "The enemy reading, it's gone. Did you beat it?"

Pride swelled in my chest when she asked.

"Yeah. Mission accomplished"

"Sanada-senpai, Aragaki-senpai, are you two okay!?"

"Yeah, for the most part,"Sanada-senpai says, giving a thumbs up.

"I'm fine," Aragaki-senpai affirms, brief in his reply.

"Yukari-chan will be there shortly. Please don't move."

"I said I'm fine," Aragkai-senpai argues, lifting himself to his feet.

"You're as beaten up as me, you idiot."

"You're the only idiot here. And last time I checked, you took more damage than me."

"Electricity does nothing to me."

"Whatever you say."

Aragaki-senpai's eyes focus on me. It's hard to tell whether he's angry or not with him.

Just in case, I bow to him. "I'm so sorry, senpai. You were hurt because–"

"Save it," he casually instructs me. "It'd be trouble if one of us died here. Next time, try to think about your plan of attack." He points his thumb at Sanada-senpai. "It's bad enough we got this guy here"

"What the hell does that mean!?"

"Exactly what it means…"

"Why you…"

They continue to bicker as the rest of our group shows up, hurrying over to us. Yukari is quick to heal our wounds. Kirijo-senpai sighed to herself when she saw that her fellow third-years were just arguing, like nothing happened. Koromaru keenly watched us, wagging his tail. Jun threw his arm around me, nudging me with an elated look.

"Akihiko told me you defeated the shadow, Kazuki. Good work."

Everyone, save for Shizuka, Fuu-chan, and Aragaki-senpai pay me compliments for beating the shadow. They're thanking me. More, I want them to thank me more!

Iwatodai Dormitory - lounge - midnight - Kazuki

We finally made it back to the dorm right when the Dark Hour ended. Honestly, I'm still reeling from that rush of euphoria to care whether someone sees us all clambering into the dorm or not. Everyone sluggishly heads for the stairs. Even after a major battle like that, I'm feeling great.

"We need to talk tomorrow morning," Shizuka whispered as she passed me.

Does it have to do with me using Shadow-mog? However, it doesn't bother me if that's what she wants to talk about. We won, and that's all that matters.

"Kazuki-kun," Fuu-chan, standing behind me, murmurs my name. Her expression was downcast, fiddling with her fingers. "How did you know?" she leads on.

"How did I what?"

"The shadow's presence was masked. The wires themselves weren't special, and the electricity it used was siphoned from the plaza." Her lips curl and her hands begin to quiver. "So, how did you find it, but I wasn't?"

A heavy lump inside my throat chokes me up. The soles of my shoes are stuck to the ground and my eyes are fixed on the girl in front of me. Telling her how I found it would be difficult; I don't even understand how I did.

"I just guessed right, and it happened to be the case, nothing more."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so don't worry about it. Besides, we all make mistakes, right?"

Right then, she staggered backward, her head hung low. D-did I say the wrong thing? I was only trying to make her feel better.

Despite my worry, she raises her head, smiling like nothing happened. Only, that's probably what she wants me to think. "You're right," she says in her usual bright tone. "...I'll make sure it won't happen again."

This is wrong! She can't trick me with that forced smile, and she's barely keeping her soft tone together when she speaks. Not to mention her body language. She fidgets her fingers when she's nervous or lying about something.

I grab her forearm before she can walk away. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's okay… Please."

"I can't. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing, just let go."

"If it's something I said, or did, just–"

Fuuka gasps out in pain. "That hurts!"

I remove my hand from her in a knee-jerk reaction to her comment. Ice runs through my veins realizing what I've done. Fuuka's frightened expression didn't help my nerves a single bit. Both my hands feel dull and heavier than usual.

"Wait, F-Fuu-chan, I…!"

"...It's fine," she spoke, doing away with her forced positivity. "Let's just go to our room…"

All I can do is watch her move ahead of me, taking small steps for the stairs. A flickering sense of shame burns inside the pits of my stomach watching her move further ahead, and the tightened grip I had around her arm is fresh.

"Should I have not found it?"

But why was she so upset? It's not like I did anything wrong. Everyone thinks so as well, so why is she getting angry at me? I only did the right thing; the only thing I can do right. Then why didn't she praise me?

"...I don't get it."