Monday, July 20, 2009, 3:21PM
A beach on Yakushima
Wearing nothing but his hat, a pair of swim trunks, and his sandals, Junpei let out a large whoop as he arrived at the sea. "Summer is here, baby, and so am I!" He threw his inner tube into the air.
"I'm already exhausted." Makoto complained as he and Akihiko caught up with Junpei, his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. "Can I go rest in the shade?"
"You have free will," Akihiko said, clad only in a blue speedo, "you can do whatever you want."
"Can I inhale the salty tang of the sea while contemplating its boundless cruelty?" Makoto asked as he fastened his swim trunks.
Akihiko shrugged. "I dunno, I guess?"
"Guuuuys!" Junpei yelled. "Come on! This is one of the highlights of our youth! Be more excited damn it!"
Akihiko looked out at the sea, completely ignoring Junpei's ranting. "Aw man, they didn't put out any markers this time. There's no way I can measure my progress without those."
"What a shame." Makoto said drolly. "You'll have to swim normally instead."
"I know right?" Akihiko said with utter sincerity. "What an absolute drag."
"You guys are killing me!"
"Can it Iori." Shinjiro said as he walked up, carrying a surfboard. Of the four boys, he was the only one still wearing a shirt.
"I didn't know you knew how to surf senpai." Makoto said as he inspected Shinjiro's board. Standing taller than him by a decent margin, it appeared to be a classic wooden board, with KIRIJO GROUP printed near the center.
Shinjiro shrugged. "It's fun, and the waves here are moderate enough that I probably won't drown."
"Probably huh?" Makoto put his fingers to his chin. "Then you should take Junpei with you." Shinjiro glared at him. "I'm not just saying that so he'll also be far away from us."
"Yeah I'm sure you're not." He mumbled.
Junpei shook his head. "Maaaaan...my buzz is killed. You guys are the worst."
"I dunno what you want me to say." Shinjiro said.
Junpei opened his mouth to respond, before his gaze drifted to over Shinjiro's shoulder. His eyes widened and he whistled. "Well, well, well~."
The boys turned to find Yukari, Fuuka, and Kotone walking and waving to them.
"You're still a pig Junpei." Yukari said, wearing a pink bikini top and jean shorts.
"My house has been blown down." He said with a wide grin.
"What does that even mean?" Fuuka asked, dressed in a much more modest green top and skirt.
Kotone giggled. "It means the big bad wolf is going to eat him." She wore a blindingly white two piece that made Makoto notice how it...really accentuated her figure. In that moment, he was silently but exceedingly thankful he had taken the sunglasses.
"It means he's off his rocker." Yukari said with a cheeky grin.
"I'm not swimming next to any rocks." Junpei's grin matched hers.
"You should." Shinjiro said before turning to Yukari. "Where's Mitsuru?"
Yukari's smile faltered. "Well, she stayed behind with the Chairman to talk to him about something." She crossed her arms. "I'm sure she'll be out soon."
Shinjiro nodded as he left for the ocean.
Junpei wrapped his arms around Makoto and Akihiko. "Maaaaan, this is great. I'm in heaven."
"Weren't you despondent like a minute ago?" Makoto asked as he tried to escape Junpei's grip.
Junpei shook his head. "No time to dwell on the past, amigo, we have to live life in the present." He pointed to a group of women swimming out in the distance. "Bet you I can get there first, senpai."
Akihiko grinned. "Like hell I'm going to let you beat me." They both rushed off into the ocean. Akihiko swore he'd achieve victory. Junpei yelled how cold it was. Makoto just sighed and shook his head.
"You're not going with them?" Kotone said as she sauntered up to him.
"I think I'll work on my tan first."
Kotone put her finger on her chin. "Makoto with a tan huh? Hard to picture." She poked him in the chest. "You don't look like you've applied any sunscreen." He shook his head. "I'll go get some. You go lay down, and I'll put it on your back."
"Wait, what? Koto-" before he could finish, she had run off. The thought of Kotone rubbing cold, wet sunscreen across his skin, as she straddled his back... "Oh boy." Makoto wiped the sweat off of his brow. "Should definitely go lay down."
A few hours later, Shinjiro returned to the dock, with Akihiko waiting for him. "Hey, 'bout time you showed up."
"Can it." Shinjiro hopped off his board onto the sand, as Akihiko tossed him his shirt. "You guys have fun?"
"I swam circles around Iori." He said with a grin.
"I'll take that as a yes." Akihiko chuckled and gave him a light punch in the back, as Shinjiro picked up his board. "The rest?"
As they walked back, Shinjiro could see the beach had filled out with new, unfamiliar places. Every year it felt like the amount of tourists doubled. Eventually, he mused, there wouldn't be any room left for them. Maybe time to convince Mitsuru to relocate to a more isolated island?
"Takeba and Yamagishi had armfuls of seashells they found, Shiomi a bunch of driftwood," Shinjiro's face scrunched up, "yeah I don't either, don't ask me. Yuki and Mitsuru just swam a bit and rested in the shade."
He nodded. "Nice."
"Oh yeah, and Iori struck out with a bunch of women."
Shinjiro snorted. "Figures. Speaking of things that never had a chance, is the food ready?"
"Soon enough, yeah. All the juniors have already gone ahead by the way. The allure of gourmet seafood was too good to pass up."
"Hell yeah."
They walked in silence for a few seconds, the sounds of displaced sand the only noise in the air, before Akihiko said, "or as Ikutsuki would say,-
"Shell yeah." They said in unison. Shinjiro shook his head. "Goddamn it, now you've me doing it."
"Shell yeah I am." The moment he said it, Akihiko ran off, as Shinjiro began to chase him, surfboard ready to strike.
"So what's with all the driftwood exactly?" Mitsuru heard Makoto ask as they entered the dinner room.
"Souvenirs." Kotone said casually. "You want me to find you some?"
Makoto blinked several times before answering. "I'm good."
"How about a pet crab?" She offered.
"Nah, I don't want the responsibility of taking care of another living being." Makoto paused. "Junpei is already enough hassle."
She nodded sagely. "That is true." She turned to Mitsuru. "Hey senpai."
"Hello Shiomi, Yuki. Enjoying yourselves?"
Kotone gave her two thumbs up as Makoto put his hand under his chin. "Well, I'm a tough critic, but I'll ultimately have to give this place a six out of five."
Mitsuru chuckled. "Glad to see that you are enjoying Yakushima. It truly is a beautiful place, no?"
"Heck yeah!" Kotone yelled. "How've you been hiding such a wonderland from us this whole time senpai?"
"I wouldn't say I've been hiding it." Mitsuru said, a mischievous undercurrent in her voice. "I just never had the opportunity to mention it is all."
"Do you come here often?" Makoto asked.
She nodded. "Once a year, usually during summer break. Ever since I was a little girl in fact."
"Mitsuru was kind enough to take us the last couple of years." Shinjiro said as he and the rest of SEES arrived.
Kotone pouted. "Luckyyyyyyyy."
"Yakushima is a good place to unwind." Akihiko said with a smile. "Operations during the Dark Hour can be pretty taxing, mentally and physically, so it's important for us to savor moments like these."
Yukari tensed up. "Oh yeah, the Dark Hour." She turned to Mitsuru's father. "It exists even out here, doesn't it?"
Takeharu nodded. "It does, but you won't have to worry about Shadows here. You can feel free to relax."
Makoto raised an eyebrow but said nothing as food arrived.
"This is gonna be great." Kotone whispered as she rubbed her hands together.
"This suuuuuuucks!" Kotone whined as she tightly held her stomach. "My tummy huuuuurts."
Yukari rolled her eyes. "I told you not to eat so much. Even Junpei knew not to do that."
"Yep." Junpei burped loudly from the other couch, as Yukari and Makoto both looked at him in disgust. "Sorry."
"Lobster...delicious." She said in the most pathetic voice possible. "caviar, yummy. Fatty tuna, fatty."
Makoto's eyes lazily found their way to Kotone's driftwood pile, hidden right behind an unused chair in the corner of the common area. "Let's poke her in the stomach until she pukes. It'll be funny."
"Sure," Yukari said as she she filed her nails, completely nonplussed, "you first."
"Noooooooooooo." She rolled off the sofa and crawled her way back to her room, like a particularly pitiful caterpillar.
Makoto turned back to Yukari. "So what are you guys going to do with all of those seashells?"
She smiled. "Necklaces for everyone. Me and Fuuka got just enough for everyone. We've already sorted them by color and size. If we find more tomorrow we can-" A long, pained howl echoed out from the hallways. Yukari sighed. "I should probably go help her."
"Nah."
"Let her suffer the consequences of her actions."
Yukari rolled her eyes. "You guys are evil."
"You got it chica."
"Pretty much."
"Yo," Junpei called out to her as she arrived, "you're eighteen now right, Mitsuru-senpai?"
She chuckled. "A bit uncouth to ask a woman her age, no?" In response she simply got blank stares from Makoto and Junpei. "Um, yes, yes I am."
"Does that mean you got a driver's license?" He asked, face brimming with excitement as Makoto visibly struggled to stay awake.
She shook her head. "Not yet, no." She said, much to Junpei's disappointment. "I was planning to go in September after Akihiko had his birthday. That way all three of us could get them at the same time."
"Oh." Junpei scratched his head. "OK, thanks."
"Told you not to get your hopes up." Makoto muttered with his eyes closed.
She raised an eye and sat down across from the other two. "Come on now, are you truly just going to ask me a question like that and not expect any follow-up? Did you have something you wanted to request from me?"
"Ah, it's nothing." Junpei mumbled, obviously deflated.
"Junpei was talking about the whole dorm taking a trip across the country." Makoto said. Mitsuru's eyes widened a bit.
He shrugged. "I was just thinking out loud. It'll probably be a while before we finish all this Dark Hour stuff. It's real cool hanging out with you guys, Yakushima's been awesome so far, but I was just thinking about how cool it'd be to, I dunno, rent an RV and drive around Japan for a few weeks."
Mitsuru raised and carefully manicured finger to her chin. "Hmm..."
"Yeah it's dumb, I know." Junpei said.
"I never said that." Both boys turned to her in surprise. "I admit I have never done such a thing, traveling with only a small amount of people in such a manner. In fact," she looked away, "I had to fight tooth and nail with father to convince him to let me live by myself, let alone with two boys in a dorm. I...am not against such a thing once SEES winds down operations."
"Maybe once we're done fighting Shadows," Makoto said, "we can rename it to the Summer Education Escape Squad."
Junpei snorted and Mitsuru chuckled. "Perhaps." She said coyly. "But that would depend on if we could find the time next year. You all will be seniors, and the three of us will be first year university students."
Junpei shrugged. "I mean if we could survive that crazy-ass fight on the bridge, plus all the other shit we've been through, I think we can survive anything."
"Even school?"
"Even school, dude."
"Even university?" Mitsuru lightly teased.
Junpei sighed. " Even university, senpai."
"I'll hold you to that Iori." She said as she stood up and left.
If we believe hard enough, we can will Persona 3 Strikers into existence.
Jokes aside, next chapter is probably the most important in the story thus far. A lot of reveals regarding the backstory and what separates this from the canon version of Persona 3. I've been working on it for months. I'm pretty sure I started it even before I published the first chapter, and have had a lot of scenes building up to it, and written with it in mind.
So be sure to take plenty of notes, because it will be on the test. Anything less than a 70% and you're joining Junpei in summer school.