Chapter 15: A New Member.

August 20th, 2009

"Yeesh… it's a scorcher." Junpei remarks, wiping his head. He takes his phone out, glancing at the date before his eyes widen in surprise. "Aw man, it's already the 20th? Summer break's almost over… why did the chairman make us take summer classes?" He shakes his head, letting out a sigh as he turns away from the cinema. "Not like I have anythin' to do anyway… you'd think with special powers, the rest of the world wouldn't be so… boring." He lets out a sigh, shaking his head, before glancing at a nearby bench. Spotting a girl with red hair in a white dress, drawing quietly.

"Is she drawing? Maybe a caricature artist? But there's no one around for her to draw." Junpei quietly asks himself, his gaze not leaving her. "What is she drawing then? There's nothing interestin' around here. Unless she's drawing from her mind?" Curiosity getting the better of him, Junpei walks over to her. Only to receive an unamused stare.

"Out of the way. You're blocking my view… move."

"Huh? Oh… sorry." Junpei replies, turning himself around as the girl goes back to her drawing. As he takes a peak, he sees just how wild her drawing is. "Whoa, those are some funky colours! Wonder how Yusuke would react…"

"What do you want?" The girl asks, not taking her eyes off the drawing.

"Oh, uh, nothing. My bad." Junpei tells her, quickly leaving her alone as she goes back to her drawing. As he walks away, he takes a moment to look back at her, seeing just how covered up she was despite the heat. "How can she stand to wear that crazy outfit in this heat?" He asks himself quietly. "And what was up with that crazy drawing? I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder? Oh well…"

August 24th, 2009

"You just don't know what to give up, do you?" Shinjiro asks, shaking his head. He had just stepped out of a shop to find Akihiko standing before him once again. Once more with the same offer as last time.

"I'll come back as many times as I need to. I don't give up so easily." Akihiko tells him, rolling his neck.

"And my answer will always be the same every time: I'm not going back." Shinjiro replies, hands in pockets. He turned around to leave, and Akihiko stood and watched. But he wasn't going to let him go so easily.

"Actually, we got two new team members. Did you know that animals can use Personas too?" Akihiko hadn't told Shinjiro about Morgana. He had a tough time selling him about time travel. A talking cat would be pushing it. So telling him now, with Koromaru joining them, would be simple.

"Wait, what did you say?" Shinjiro asks, looking at him with a surprised look. "Animals?"

"Yeah. One is a dog who lost his master six months ago to the Shadows. The other is a stray cat. And they are incredibly loyal, too. Up until now, they had been guarding the spot where the dog's master was killed. It's been rough for them, but they are making the most of it." Shinjiro stays silent, not looking at Akihiko. And neither of them noticed that Ken had stumbled across them.

"Oh, it's Sanada-senpai." Ken remarks, before seeing the turned back of Shinjiro. "Who is he? I wouldn't want to butt in, but…"

"We saw someone die before our eyes, too." Akihiko speaks, causing Ken to hide behind a sign. "It'll be two years this October… how long are you going to beat yourself up over that? That's why you are always behind the station, even though you don't actually hang out with anyone there."

"Doesn't matter." Shinjiro cuts in. "It was my fault, no matter what anyone says. And nothing is going to change that. What does it matter if I come to terms with the past? It doesn't matter. The guilt will always be there." He lets out a sigh, shaking his head. "This isn't like what happened with your sister… what happened to Miki was different."

"Shinji…" Akihiko comments, all wind taken out of his sails. Seeing him still torment himself over the past… it hurt him to see.

"It's over now. I just want to forget that it ever happened." With that, he walks away as Akihiko watches him on. As for Ken, he was letting everything he had heard bounce around in his head. Digesting the information given to him.

"Two years ago…?" He asks quietly, his eyes narrowing before he lets out a gasp. His gaze returned to the vanishing figure of Shinjiro. "No way… it's him. So his name is Shinji… I've finally found the trail…"

August 26th, 2009

"Something wrong, Sanada-senpai? You've been looking down for a while." Minako comments, seeing the gloom in Akihiko's eyes as he does a few punches in the air. Makoto was nearby, reading a book while Minako was looking over the plants on the Dorm roof once more. The heat was getting higher, and the plants needed more water. Akihiko lets out one more punch, letting his arms drop as he grabs a towel to rub his head.

"Am I that obvious?" He asks.

"Considering how everyone has taken notice, I'd say so. Mitsuru especially." Makoto replies, closing her book. "Keeping it all in doesn't help, Akihiko."

"I know." Akihiko replies, shaking his head. "Just… some bad memories, is all." He lets out a sigh, grabs a bottle of water and takes a large gulp. "If you two don't mind, I have something I need to get off my chest."

"Of course. What is it?" Minako asks, tilting her head. Akihiko lets out a sigh, leaning on the wall as he glances between the two.

"I haven't told anyone else about this… and Mitsuru is the only one who knows, but… it's about my sister, Miki. My younger sister, who I couldn't save." Makoto and Minako look at Akihiko as he lets out a sigh. "I was the only person she had. There weren't any kids around her age at the orphanage, so she didn't have any friends. She'd always tag along after me and call me 'big bro' all the time. She was so small… She never knew her parents' faces, or had good food to eat, or got to have any toys… she had nothing. But me."

Minako and Makoto glance at each other in silence, listening to Akihiko talk about his sister. Something that was clearly near and dear to his heart.

"She sounded like a ray of sunshine." Makoto comments, brushing some hair back.

"She was… always smiling when she was around me. Even when things were bad, she always looked up to me." Akihiko agrees, shaking his head. "Why… why did she have to die and not me?"

"Senpai…" Minako says softly.

"She's dead and gone… I understand that, and I accepted that. But… I can't do anything about this anger and sadness that I feel. The only way I can get rid of it is by taking out those damn Shadows." He grips his left hand hard before dropping it to his side. "That's why I fight. So that no one else has to have the pain of losing their sibling to the Dark Hour. So that no one has to experience the same pain that I have."

"I think that's a great reason to fight." Minako tells him, standing up. "And… I think you should tell everyone else about this as well. Let us all share this burden with you."

"You think so?" Akihiko asks, shaking his head. "That's… not a bad plan, to be honest. But only when I'm ready. I… don't feel like telling anyone else yet."

"Take as long as you need, Akihiko. Everyone is here for you." Makoto tells him, nodding her head. Akihiko smiles at them both, taking another swing of water, just as Minako spies the eighth star appearing on his Tarot card.

"By the way, those guys from earlier approached me last night." Akihiko suddenly comments. "I was hanging out with Minato and Ryuji when they approached. Tried to get me into another fight with them."

"Thugs…" Minako says to herself, earning a laugh out of Akihiko.

"Your brother said the same thing under his breath." He tells her with a grin. "However, he managed to pull a fast one on them by falsely calling for an officer when they wouldn't take the hint and leave. Managed to give those goons a slip, although I did hear one of them say a name."

"A name?" Makoto asks, brushing her hair back.

"Yeah. Some punk called Kaneshiro." The moment those words left his lips, the air around them seemed to get cold despite the sun still beaming down on them. Akihiko and Minako turn to the source, only to see a very pissed Makoto glaring at him with narrow eyes.

"Did you say, Kaneshiro?" She asks calmly. Akihiko nods back at her, with Makoto breathing through her nostrils. "Okay then… where are they located?"

"Well… I think I overheard that they like to gather at the Shrine sometimes…" Akihiko comments. Makoto nods at him calmly, placing her book on her lap as she straightens up.

"In that case… I think all of us should pay them a visit. And knock that money-grabbing fly down a few pegs before we get to him properly." With that, she stands up and calmly leaves the Dorm roof. Leaving Minako and Akihiko looking at each other with concerned looks.

Just what the hell did Kaneshiro do in the future to earn that sort of reaction from her?

August 28th, 2009

"Good to see everyone is here." Ikutsuki comments, seeing the meeting room filled with everyone. "Today, I would like to introduce a new member to our team."

"Another member?" Ren asks, narrowing his eyes. Why was he so focused on bringing in new members despite their size? Seemingly unperturbed by Ren's look, Ikutsuki calls in their new member to join them. But the person who entered was not who they were expecting to see.

"Huh? Amanda-kun?" Fuuka asks in surprise. And she wasn't the only one.

"No way…" Akihiko comments, eyes going wide.

"Are you for real?" Ryuji asks in a shocked voice, blinking rapidly.

"Based on our testing results, we've confirmed that he has more than enough potential. So, I decided to call this meeting to introduce him to the rest of the squad."

"W-Wait, chairman. With all due respect, he is still in elementary school." Mitsuru attempts to object. "And besides…"

"Besides what? We've already confirmed he has the potential. With training, he should be a valuable asset to the team." The Thieves all give each other discreet glances at each other. Ikutsuki was being very suspicious about how incentive he was to bring in new members despite their line-up. It was like he was trying to gather as many as he could for some purpose.

"Did you ask if he was okay with this?" Yusuke asks, placing a hand on his chin.

"Actually, it was my idea to join." Ken replies, shocking the group. "I feel like I can help too. And I think I finally understand why I have this power." Everyone glances at each other, still feeling uneasy about Ken joining them. But if it was his own decision, then they didn't really have any choice in the matter.

"As you can see, it was by his own decision." Ikutsuki tells them, folding his arm. "I hope you will all work well with each other." With that, he turns around and leaves. Letting the team all look at Ken with mixes of uncertainty.

"I'm looking forward to working with you all." Ken says with a smile.

"I look forward to working with you as well." Aigis tells him, giving Ken a bow.

"Just don't push yourself, okay." Minato tells him gently. "We understand if you want to help, but don't do anything reckless, okay? We're all a team, and teammates help each other when we stumble."

"I understand. I hope to learn a lot from all of you." Ken replies, rubbing the back of his head. Akihiko, for his part looked uncomfortable with Ken joining them, same with Mitsuru as they shared a glance between each other. "By the way, I've heard you guys call each other by different names a few times. And why are you wearing fake lenses?"

The Thieves all collectively blinked in surprise at Ken, who was looking at them with an inquisitive look. They all glance at each other before all sighing as one as Koromaru suddenly lets himself in. Looking up at Ken with inquisitive eyes as he gives him a few sniffs before licking his face. Earning a small chuckle from him as Ren sighs to himself.

"You may want to take a seat, Amanda-kun. What we're going to tell you cannot leave this room." Ken, while surprised at hearing the seriousness in Ren's voice, nods as he sits on the couch before them.

"I'm ready."

August 29th, 2009

"He was not ready." Junpei tells himself as he walks past Iwatodai Station. "Poor kid got his brain melted from all that info. Well, he asked for the story, and he got it. Still… can't blame Ren and the others for being so sus about Ikutsuki now. Why was the chairman so insistent on Ken joining?" He shakes his head to clear the cobwebs from his mind as he lets out a sigh. "It's almost the end of summer break. The second semester is about to start soon. And pretty soon, I'm gonna be a third year. Man, times goes by way too fast." He looks up, seeing the girl from before still at the bench, drawing away. "Oh, it's her. And she's drawin' again, huh?" One more, letting curiosity get the better of him, Junpei walks over to her. And once more, she looks at him with an unimpressed look.

"You again?" She asks, surprising Junpei.

"Oh… you actually remembered me?" He replies, taken aback as she turns her attention back to her drawing.

"I could say the same about you."

"I mean… your outfit is pretty memorable." Junpei admits, rubbing the back of his head. "So, um… what are you working on?"

"A drawing. Why?"

"No real reason, I guess. I just thought it's pretty awesome to have something you're passionate about." Junpei replies, folding his arms.

"It's nothing like that. I'm just drawing because I feel like it." She tells him, her eyes not leaving the page as Junpei slowly nods. He turns to leave but gives her a glance over his shoulder before he does.

"Still, I'd like to see it when it's done." That caused her to pause as she glanced up at Junpei walking away. Confusion is written on her face as his words bounce around in her mind.

Why would he want to see it?

"Does anyone else feel uneasy about Amanda-kun joining us?" Ann asks Minako, Minato, and Yukari. "It's just… it doesn't feel right."

"You're not the only one." Minako replies, shaking her head. "No one that young should be fighting alongside us. It's not right."

"But we also can't change his decision." Minato comments, glancing off to the side. "Even without Ikutsuki pushing him to join."

"Why is he looking for more people to join us anyway? We're as large as possible." Yukari asks, shaking her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"Now you know why we could never bring ourselves to trust him." Ann admits, shaking her head as she glances around the Strip Mall. "Anyway, what do you want to do? I'm not really feeling ramen at the moment."

"I'm not feeling the net café either. Why don't we try some place else?" Yukari asks before stopping in her tracks. "Wait, how much money do I have anyway?" She pats her waist, only for her eyes to bulge out. "Oh no! Did I drop it!?"

"You dropped it? But when?" Minako asks, looking behind them. "You didn't take it out at any point, right?"

"Didn't someone bump into you?" Minato asks, with all four of them narrowing their eyes. "I think we found our answer."

"I've got to go and check!" Yukari replies, turning on her heels only for Ann to grasp her shoulder.

"Wait. It's possible that guy is with others. I know you can handle yourself, but let us tag along just in case." Yukari opens her mouth to protest but closes it immediately after.

"You have a good point." Yukari admits, looking back at them. "Okay, you can tag along. But stay in the shadows, okay? It might make them drop their guard if they see me by myself."

"Got it." Minako replies as Minato nods. With that settled, the four retraced their steps until they made it back to where Yukari was bumped into, with the trio sticking to the shadows while Yukari pressed on. Soon finding the man who bumped into her, holding her wallet. Along with two others.

"Hey! That's mine!" Yukari shouts, getting the attention of the three.

"Huh… looked like she caught on quicker than we thought." One of the guys remarks as they toss the wallet between them.

"I said that mine! Give it back, you punks!" Yukari shouts, getting increasingly angry at them. Which may have been the wrong thing to say, as the three guys got incredibly irritated at her. Storming over to her with fury behind their eyes.

"What did you say!? You better shut your mouth, bitch!" One of them shouts, trying to intimidate her.

"If you don't behave, you'll lose more than your wallet." One of the other says with a primal grin. "How about something that can never be taken back?" Yukari growls, taking a step back as she glares down at the three men. Which also proved to be the signal for Minako, Minato, and Ann to step out and come to her side.

"In that case, you can take on all of us!" Minako says, stepping in front of Yukari as Ann and Minato take the sides.

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" One of the punks asks, his arrogance falling away as they find themselves outnumbered.

"Her friends." Minato says in a calm but cold voice.

"So giver her wallet back right now…" Ann tells them before cracking a knuckle. "…or all of us will make you." Yukari blinked, shaking her head before falling into a combative stance, seeing how the guys were not backing down. Well, it was fine with her. She had some pent-up frustrations to let out, after all, and these punks would be the perfect punching bag.

As for the fight, well, if one could call it that, it did not last long, with Ann taking one down by herself. The twins double-teamed another one while Yukari beat down the one responsible for taking her wallet, with the four of them walking away from the unconscious bodies of the punks soon after.

"That was stressful…" Yukari admits, looking at her wallet in her hands. "…never thought I'd have my wallet stolen from me."

"We're just glad you have it back." Minako tells her, shaking her head as the twins see the fifth star form on her card. Yukari glances at both Minako and Minato, feeling a sense of frustration building up inside her against those two. But, she fought against it, willing it to stay inside her as she shook her head.

"Sorry, but I'm gonna head back to the Dorm." She tells them before quickly leaving the trio. Heading back by herself.

"What was that about?" Minato asks, tilting his head.

"I think she was feeling frustrated." Ann comments, folding her arms. "I think she went back by herself to stop her from exploding on you guys. I could see it when her face was starting to narrow up." Minako and Minato blink for a moment, looking back at the path to the dorm before sighing in unison.

"I think we should avoid going back home for now. Let's wander around Iwatodai and give Yukari some space." Minako tells Minato, who nods back at her as the twins start wandering around aimlessly.

Unknowing how close they came to reversing Yukari's Tarot card.

August 30th, 2009

The evening had rolled around, and everyone was getting ready to go back to school. Not that they wanted to, but they didn't have a choice in the matter. As Minako was busy looking through some books, Koromaru was sitting nearby, scratching away with his hind legs with an irritated look.

"Hm? What's wrong with Koromaru?" Minako asks, catching Morgana and Fuuka's attention.

"Does Koro-chan have fleas?" Fuuka asks, with Morgana letting out an irritated meow.

"Urgh… fleas… I hate those things. Not that I ever had any." He remarks as Koromaru lets out a distressed whine. Minako hums to herself, looking at Koromaru kicking himself before glancing at Fuuka.

"Don't we have anything that can treat fleas?" Fuuka blinks at her before her eyes widen with realisation.

"I think so! Just wait right here." With that, she runs off to her room while Koromaru continues to scratch himself. Morgana kept his distance to prevent any fleas from jumping on him while Minako stood nearby to rub his head gently. Eventually, Fuuka came running back with a brush.

"A brush?" Morgana asks, watching as Fuuka hands Minako the brush. "How will that work get rid of the fleas?"

"By untangling his fur. Koro-chan may have some unkempt fur that irritates him and houses the fleas. I'm sure Koro-chan has been good at keeping himself clean, but a good brush makes all the difference." Fuuka comments as Minako starts to gently brush Koromaru. Who lets out a happy yip as the brush runs over him.

"Does that feel good?" Minako asks, running the brush over him. Koromaru nods his head with happy eyes, electing a giggle from the girls while Morgana shakes his head.

"I guess it's true what they say, 'A good brushing a day keeps the fleas at bay'." Morgana comments, stretching himself out.

"Would you like a brush, Morgana?" Minako asks, passing the brush to Fuuka, who continues to brush Koromaru.

"Nah, I'm good." Morgana replies, sitting up straight before scratching behind his ears. "I don't get fleas." Minako hums to herself, spying a spare brush next to her before smirking to herself. Quietly, she picks it up and sneaks over to Morgana, the latter who was quietly licking his paw. Before she gently runs the brush over Morgana. "Hey! What are—" Suddenly, any attempt for Morgana to protest was silenced as he soon found himself going into a loaf. "…actually… can you keep that up? It feels nice…"

"And here I thought you said you didn't need a brushing." Minako replies with a smirk. Fuuka lets out a giggle at the turnaround, while Koromaru lets out a happy yip.

"Hmph… just because I said no doesn't mean I don't like it." Morgana quips back, looking away as Minako lets out a chuckle. Catching the second star being added to Koromaru's tarot card out of the corner of her eye.

"You know, maybe I should have my brother brush Koromaru sometimes. I think he can do a good job as well." Minako speaks out loud as the peaceful atmosphere falls around them. Letting all their worries of the Dark Hour vanish to the winds.

August 31st, 2009

It was the last day of summer break and the end of the film festival. People were coming and going from the cinema, talking about the movies that they had seen, while others were talking about what they would do going back to school. While for a particular someone, they were more focused on their drawing than anything else. Even as Junpei walked up to them once again.

"Hey, fancy meeting you here." She greets, earning the girl's gaze.

"You're the one who keeps coming back." She tells him, unamused.

"I'm Junpei. What's your name? You from around here?" Junpei attempts to strike up a conversation with her, but all he got was silence in return. "Oh, not even listening to me, huh? Figures…" Junpei mutters under his own breath. The girl then closes her drawing book and stands up to leave, but as she goes, blood drips from her right hand. Dripping onto the floor. Blood that Junpei sees instantly. "Whoa! Your hand!" She says in shock, the girl glancing at her hand with indifference. "What the hell happened? You bleeding."

"What's wrong with you? Why can't you mind your own business?" The girl asks, annoyed at Junpei constantly bugging her.

"Are you kidding? I can't just ignore that!" Junpei replies as he starts searching his pockets. "Gotta have something…" Reaching into his pock pocket, he brings out a handkerchief, nodding to himself as he looks back at the girl. "Give me your hand. I'll wrap this around it."

"Why are you panicking?" The girl asks, confused at Junpei's reaction as he wraps her hand with the handkerchief. Junpei looks at her, confused as to why she was being so calm about all of this.

"Why wouldn't anyone be freakin' out right about now?" He asks back, gently tightening the handkerchief around her hand. "That should do it. But you should probably still go see a doctor. Do you want me to go with you?" The girl remains silent, looking at the handkerchief wrapped around her hand. It wasn't anything fancy, just a simple blue and white handkerchief. But still… some part of her didn't want to take it off.

"You are a weird one." She remarks, turning around. "Chidori. That's my name. You asked for it, didn't you, Junpei?" Junpei blinks at Chidori as she glances over her shoulder to look at him once more before facing forward again. "I'm almost finished with my drawing. I doubt you'll be able to understand it… but if you want to see it so badly, you know where to find me." With that, she walks away, leaving Junpei standing alone as he watches her vanish into the crowds.

"Chidori, huh? That's a nice name." He says quietly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, time to see what I can do by myself." With that, he turns around and heads back to the Dorm. Maybe he could convince Minato and Ren to head out to the arcade one more time before they all head back to school? It would be a nice way to end the summer break.

September 15th, 2017

"So that's how you two first met?" Haru asks Junpei and Chidori, the couple sitting in one of the booths. "It sounds so innocent, despite knowing what sides you were on back then."

"I didn't know it at the time, but Junpei would be the light that would free me from my pain." Chidori tells her, leaning into her husband. "Something I am forever thankful for."

"That goes the same for me." Junpei replies, hugging her. "Chidori became my reason for fighting after struggling to find my purpose in the team. To be honest, you tried to talk to me a few times, Morgana. But I kept putting it off. I'm starting to wonder if I did, I would have come to that realisation a lot sooner than I did."

"Well, if you were going through the same things I was going through, it would stand to reason I'd try to talk to you about it." Morgana replies, shaking his head. "Still, I can't believe Ikutsuki allowed Ken to join us despite his age at the time. You would have thought we'd put up more of a resistance."

"I think it's because I said that I wanted to join myself." Ken replies. "If it was Ikutsuki suggesting it without asking me, I think you would have done more to deny it. But since I was the one asking first, you couldn't really decline."

"But what is up with him anyway? Why was he collecting Persona users like they were collector cards?" Isara asks, pulling a leg up. "Your team was large enough already."

"I have been wondering that as well." Sophia chimes in, sitting between Makoto and Ren. "Why did Ikutsuki have such a need to gather more Persona users?"

"It wasn't anything so good we can tell you that much." Shinjiro remarks, rubbing his head. "We only found out why he was doing that after we defeated the Hanged Man. But before that, we had to get past a few more Shadows, me rejoining the team and Aigis enrolling at school."

"Hold up, Aigis enrolled at school?" Futaba asks, blinking in surprise. The same look of surprise was evident on everyone else as they all looked at Aigis with stumped looks. "How did that happen?" Aigis, for her part, looked away, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes as she remembered that day.

"Well…"

September 1st, 2009

"Looks like we made it." Minako remarks as she, Yusuke, and Ken enter the restaurant. "We have time to grab something to eat before they close."

"My thanks, Mina. In my painting spree, I forgot to grab anything to eat." Yusuke comments, his stomach rumbling as Ken struggles to contain his giggles.

"Then let's solve that right now." Minako says with a smile as they place their order. Surprisingly, it was brought to them rather quickly and piping hot. There must have been some extra that they made that was going to go to waste. No wonder the staff members looked pleased when they placed their order. "Tonight's on me, so enjoy you two."

"Um… thanks for the food." Ken replies as he starts digging into his meal, Yusuke quickly behind him while Minako takes her time with hers. Although, if she was being honest, she was surprised at how fast Ken and Yusuke were eating their food.

"Wow, you two sure are hungry." She comments with a grin, with Ken looking away embarrassed.

"I cannot help it." Yusuke comments, shaking his head. "This meal is like heaven."

"Um… sure." Ken replies, as he starts to eat slowly before glancing off to the side. "It's just not the same." His remarks caught the attention of Minako and Yusuke. "When my Mom was still alive, we never really went out to eat that much… so I never really knew what it was like. I guess my Mom was really good at cooking. When I eat stuff like lunch boxes from the store… they just taste horrible."

"Your mother must have been a remarkable person." Yusuke tells him gently. "I wish I had such memories like you do." Ken blinks at Yusuke in surprise before letting out a sigh.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel that way… Kitagawa-san. But… there is one thing that I regret not doing. I… never told my Mom that she was a good cook."

"Amanda-kun…" Minako says gently, her eyes softening at the young boy. As for Yusuke, he couldn't help but look at Ken as a possible Akechi in the making. At the very least, he was surrounded by people who cared, but he still couldn't shake the feeling he had.

"This is really good though." Ken suddenly remarks, glancing at his now-finished dinner. "If you don't mind, but I'd like to come back here again with you two. Is that okay? And only if you have the time."

"We'll ask you out again sometime." Minako replies with a smile.

"Indeed. I enjoy conversing with you, Ken." Yusuke tells him with a smile.

"Then it's a promise." Ken says brightly as Minako nods her head at him. Just as her vision darkness once more, a card flies past her. With Theodore's voice echoing around her once more.

I am thou… Thou art I…

Thou has established a new bond…

Thou shall have our blessing when thou choosest…

To create a Persona of The Justice Arcana…

"Justice…" Minako breathes, catching Yusuke's ear while Ken tilts his head at her. "Don't mind me. Just mumbling to myself." She tells them, glancing at the time. "Looks like we'll have to go now. Is everyone finished?"

"I am." Yusuke replies, patting his stomach.

"Is it possible I can get a drink to go please?" Ken asks the waiter, who nods their head. "Then, can I have a large, please?" Minako chuckles to herself softly, watching Ken smile widely as he gets his drink. It was a reminder that, underneath that polite exterior, was still a young boy who was acting far too old for his age.

And it hurt her to see that.

Eventually, the three of them returned to the Dorms, finding Minato, Ren, Makoto, and Akihiko on their own way back from an outing. What they were up to, they didn't ask as they all entered the Dorm together.

"Oh, there they are." Yukari comments, seeing them enter. Koromaru rushes up to them, giving each of them an affectionate lick as Junpei and Ryuji let out large sighs on the couches.

"First day back, and already I'm exhausted." Ryuji remarks as Ann playfully slaps him.

"Seriously. The day felt way too long." Junpei adds, shaking his head.

"Well, you guys all have perfect timing." Ann tells them before looking towards the far back. "Hey Futaba, Fuuka! Is Aigis ready?"

"Yep!" Futaba's voice echoes from the stairs as she and Fuuka descend. Followed by Aigis, who was wearing a school uniform for Gekkoukan High.

"What do you think?" Fuuka asks as Aigis walks towards the group. Looking like an ordinary schoolgirl.

"Well, she wears it naturally, no mistake. But why is she wearing it?" Makoto asks before glancing at the pin. Seeing the second year pin attached to her shirt.

"I agree with Makoto-san. Why's she wearing our school uniform?" Junpei asks, rubbing his head. Just as Akihiko let out a sigh.

"Don't tell me Ikutsuki enrolled her?" He asks with a groan.

"I actually said it as a joke when Aigis said she wanted to go to school, but when the chairman heard me, he actually took it seriously. Even Kirijo-senpai and Haru-senpai were taken aback by it." Yukari admits with a sweat drop. "So tomorrow, she's going to be joining us as a second year in our class."

"He actually allowed that to happen?" Ren asks, shaking his head. "What even goes on in that mind of his? It's like he just does anything that seems to amuse him."

"He said something about studying her behaviour in a social environment…" Fuuka adds before looking at the ground. "…but I'm not sure how a school environment will help with that."

"Sounds like him at this point." Minato comments, shaking his head. "Not much we can do about it, though. Other than welcome Aigis into our class."

"I can already see a lot of the guys at school trying to hit on her…" Minako comments, shaking her head. "…but I suppose all we can do is help Aigis along."

"But, what's the point of you going to school anyway?" Ken asks, looking at Aigis. "Don't get me wrong, you look like a natural wearing that, but it's not like school is interesting. So why?" It was a legitimate question. Why did Aigis want to go to school in the first place? As an android, she could connect to the internet and find whatever information she wanted. School would be pointless.

"As the second semester commences I intend to synchronise my schedule with everyone for maximum efficiency. If I remain here on standby, it could affect our deployment." Aigis supplies. "To accommodate, I requested reassignment alongside our squad leaders."

"When she puts it like that, she does make sense." Futaba adds hands behind her back. "Even if Amanda-kun and Koro-chan are still here."

"Deployment efficiency, huh… why do I feel like you being at school would make that even worse?" Yukari comments with a sigh, already seeing a lot of problems that can arise from this. Until Koromaru lets out a few barks at her, grabbing her attention.

"He says, 'I want to go to school too'." Aigis translates with everyone looking at him with weary smiles.

"Sorry, buddy. But the school won't let you join. Even if having you in class would be cool." Ren tells him, rubbing his back as Koromaru lets out a disappointed whine. "We'll just have to make up for extra time when we get back, okay?" Koromaru lets out an exited yip at that as everyone shakes their heads at the loyal dog.

Even if having him around the school would be cool, some rules can't be broken.