Sokila frowned as she tried balancing on Elizabeth's shoulders.
"M'tryin' to get an idea of what standing on a mountaintop is like..."
Elizabeth smiled, holding tightly to Sokila's ankles.
"Keep imagining, dear!" Looking down, she added, "take care not to drop us, Theo!"
Nervously trying to keep the Elizabeth/Sokila duo balanced, Theodore could feel his legs quivering.
"It would help if you didn't keep shifting, sister...!"
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Monday: August 24, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari slowly opened his eyes, looking at the underside of Kaworu Nagisa's bunk. Huh...familiar and unfamiliar, he mused. He had gotten used to waking up in Sakura-sensei's home, but the bunk bed had also become normal rather quickly.
He quietly glanced towards the other beds; Toji Suzuhara was stirring on his lower bunk; Kensuke Aida was still sleeping on his top bunk. He could hear Kaworu Nagisa lightly snoring above. Feels strange, not having my own room...and only having one bathroom. With that thought in mind, Shinji quietly crept out of bed, tiptoeing towards the bathroom-
"...mrmph...wha..."
Toji was awake.
"...hang on a sec, I call dibs Ikari!"
Shinji darted inside, locking the door behind him.
Toji knocked a few times with emphasis. "Hey come on man, I called dibs!"
For some reason, Elizabeth came to mind. "...um...finder's keeper's...?" he replied.
"...fine, I guess..." grumbled Toji from the other side of the door.
...huh, that actually works? He resolved to quickly take a shower and get ready for the day ahead.
xxxx
/Misato's Apartment, Tokyo-3/
"So," said Misato Katsuragi, quietly spreading some jam onto her toast. "Did you sleep well, Yamagishi-chan?"
Wasn't that a good question to start the day with. "...I slept, Katsuragi-san..." answered Mayumi; it was strange, being in a new place.
(Last night, after Misato had gotten over her annoyance over how everyone's luggage and souvenirs had just been dropped at her apartment — "Thanks a lot, Pen-Pen!" and "Wark," the exchange had gone — the woman had helped clear out the last guest room in her apartment, directly across from Mana's room. "We'll see about getting your stuff tomorrow after our work at NERV...how does that sound?" She could only mutely nod at that.)
"Fair enough," she answered, taking a bite of her toast.
"...does it feel weird to say I missed sleeping in my room?" asked Mana, taking a hefty bite of steamed rice and pickled cabbage. "Because it's...kind of nice. Never had a place that I could 'return' to, like this...well, not counting Tokita's facilities, but they sucked anyhow."
"...I wonder what'll happen to my old home," she wondered aloud, nibbling at her rice quietly.
Misato grimaced, looking rather conflicted by the whole scenario. "...it'll probably be a hot minute until Niijima-san is able to get things settled, what with all the chaos in Tokyo-2...but until then, we can at least get what we can from your place to try and make it feel a little bit more like home..."
Mana looked inquisitively at Mayumi. "You got any models in your room? My first one was of Emerald Eagle." She sounded rather proud of that fact.
"...not really? It's mostly...well, pretty much only books," she admitted.
Misato smiled, taking a hefty bite of her toast. "Pretty spartan lifestyle, eh? Seems like it would be simple enough to grab...maybe we can have the boys help us move some of your furniture, too..."
(They had no idea how many books she actually had, did they?)
(...well, it's not like you're going to volunteer THAT information out loud. Let them find out in person.)
Mayumi wisely kept her thoughts to herself, sipping her green tea in silence.
xxxx
By the time everyone — namely Team Statherós, plus Misato and Ryuji Sakamoto; Rei Ayanami was off on missions — had gathered at NERV, Ritsuko Akagi had a presentation ready to go...so to speak; it mostly consisted of her standing in a conference room similar to where they had met Gendo Ikari the previous day, with not even the minor frills of a projector and canvas. "So...let's discuss the important things," said Dr. Akagi, lightly inhaling on a cigarette. "First of all...Mayumi Yamagishi."
The girl sat up straight. "Yes ma'am?"
"...first of all, the fact you survived having an Angel attached to your soul for however many years is impressive. Truly. And the metaphysical scarring is...surprisingly minimal."
"...thank you?" she replied with some confusion.
("What's with this lady's bedside manner...?" murmured Ryuji under his breath.)
"What this brings me to, however, is the fact that though your A.T. Field has stabilized, there's a 'hole' that was left behind, for lack of a better word. A remnant of where the Angel's soul had attached to your own. The long-term effects are something we can only speculate at, but for the time being your essential spiritual characteristics are indistinguishable from a human baseline. Granted, there will be more tests to come, but we'll see if this 'hole' has any applications that can be exploited. Maybe a metaphysical trace remains between you and whatever realm the Angel's souls are from? Who's to say...but that's for the future to determine."
Mayumi could only stare, squirming somewhat nervously in her seat.
Uncaring for the stern expression sent her way by Misato, Dr. Akagi turned towards Mana. "As for you, the bonds between you and the souls embedded within AIGIS and LABRYS have actually increased in metaphysical amplitude...which isn't a surprise, given the reports I've read about your battle against the Angel during the last new moon."
Kensuke blinked. "Wait, our most in-depth report about that battle was to Kurosawa, how did-?"
"NERV had plenty of individuals within Tokyo-2 who were willing to leak information about affairs of interest...such as NERV assets fighting an Angel. It was quite an interesting read," explained Ritsuko, uncaring for the stares sent her way regarding the blatant admission of espionage. "Not exactly a problem we have to deal with anymore, given what happened with Tokyo-2, alas."
(Toji stared agog at the woman's brusque demeanor. "What's with this chick?" he whispered to himself.)
"And what exactly do you mean by...'metaphysical amplitude'?" asked Mana.
"Given your completely unique situation? Unknown, to be honest. However, given that your weapons were apparently capable of independent movement during that battle? I would highly encourage you to get creative. I'm sure Misato will be able to help you there."
At this, Mana could only nod, impulsively running a hand along the edge of her shield.
Taking another puff of her cigarette, Ritsuko turned towards Toji and Kensuke. "Suzuhara. Aida." Both boys instinctively sat up. "...you're both standard Persona-users, for all intents and purposes. Keep in shape, keep training, and you'll do fine."
"...that's it?" grumbled Toji.
Kensuke glared at his friend. "Hey, I'm perfectly fine with 'status quo'."
Dr. Akagi then looked in Shinji's direction. "Ikari."
"...yes?" he asked.
"Your spiriology has followed the general trend previously established by Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley-Sohryu...albeit at an increased rate relative to theirs. But given that you've faced the Angels in-person, I suppose it's only to be expected. Despite how recent your ascendance as an Evangelion-user has been on relative terms, you should be at a state where you should be able to trigger it..."
"Trigger what?"
"...the terminology that I use in our internal records is 'Overdrive', while Futaba Maruki insists on using 'Limit Break'," she said with a roll of her eyes. "The First and Second Children, however, have taken to calling it their Ascended State, precisely because of how closely it mirrors what happened during the first time they awoke to their Evangelions: an overshadowing of the self with mind and spirit, as the Evangelion itself manifests and treads upon the world." Dr. Akagi inhaled deeply, expelling a cloud of tobacco smoke. "The unrestrained power you exhibited on the train, when arriving in Tokyo-3 back in June...imagine being able to channel that and more with a conscious mind."
Shinji pondered it.
The Beast gleefully watched from within the darkness.
Grimacing, he said, "I...I suppose Ayanami-san would know more?"
"She would."
"...why doesn't she use it more often?"
Dr. Akagi huffed. "It leaves her in a state of exhaustion, for one thing. Also, she and the Second Child complain that using that technique gives them 'bad dreams'...not that we've been able to determine it, seeing as how they short out any equipment used to scan them whilst the Ascended State is active."
"That seems incredibly foreboding," complained Sakamoto, his good leg bouncing up and down with agitation.
"It is what it is." Dr. Akagi looked back towards Shinji. "My recommendation is that you keep up with your missions; preferably with either Ayanami or Kirishima. If anything unusual happens, you're to come to NERV immediately. Understood?"
Shinji nodded quietly.
"...this didn't seem like much of a meeting," mumbled Toji, just a little bit too loudly.
"I translated everything into layman's terms to the best of my ability, what more do you want?" Taking her cigarette out of her mouth, she pulled an ashtray out of her pocket and snuffed it out. "I have to get back to work now; Misato, Sakamoto, they're all yours." Without another word, Ritsuko departed.
"...she's a regular ray of sunshine," grumbled Sakamoto, only after she had left.
"Ritsky's...not the best people person," admitted Misato.
Ryuji snorted. "Hard to believe you of all people are friends with someone like that. How'd that even happen?"
"Long story, I'll tell you over drinks sometime."
Mana abruptly stood up, looking towards Shinji. "Ikari; I'm in the mood to work off some steam. Got any missions in mind?"
Blinking, he looked down at his phone. "Uh, well..." Scrolling through, he noticed something relatively new. "...there's apparently been a string of Acolyte manifestations in Akita Prefecture..."
"Then let's get on it. Might as well make some headway with whatever new abilities that Akagi thinks we have the potential for."
xx
After a few cautionary warnings and well wishes from their fellows, Shinji and Mana faded from sight; Misato couldn't help but smile inwardly at how gung-ho Mana had seemed. Looks like she's recovered a little bit since Tokyo-2...good. Turning towards Sakamoto, Suzuhara, and Aida, she suddenly smiled toothily. "So: you boys free to provide some manual labor?"
"...labor with what?" dumbly asked Toji.
Glancing back towards Yamagishi, she answered, "Well, notwithstanding emotional support and whatnot, we need to make a visit to Yamagishi-chan's apartment to see if there's anything she wants to bring over..."
xxxx
/Outskirts of Lake Tazawa, Akita Prefecture, the Metaverse/
The first few Acolytes that Shinji and Mana had faced that morning consisted of random individuals wandering through the mountainous countryside in the northwest sector of the prefecture.
(The A.T. Field of the Acolyte was rather hardy; as Unit-01 clotheslined the rabid man, Mana followed up with a downward swing of her axe, its rim bouncing off the ego barrier with a sound akin to tingling glass; with a growl, Mana rebuffed the berserker with her shield, spinning in place with momentum to bring her axe around. This time, she bisected the man, putting the Acolyte down for good...however, as he willed Unit-01 to be on the lookout, he couldn't help but notice how frustrated Kirishima looked.)
It was only after transitioning to the Metaverse to strike at an Acolyte's Shadow — one that was wild, and not restrained within the nearest Cognitive Protection Center — that they got some...assistance.
(From the serene waters of the cognitive double of Lake Tazawa, a beaked figure erupted like a missile. "Heavenly Kick of Imperial JUSTIIIIIICE!" cried a certain tuxedo-clad bird-man, diving foot first onto the face of the Acolyte's Shadow.)
From that point, the Shadow had been put down in short order.
"...it seems like they're getting tougher as well," murmured Shinji aloud, recalling Rei's conversation from yesterday. Not just Ghosts...but the Acolytes too...?
Mana, warming her hands near an Akubōzu Archetype — a mobile hearth with a lively cloud of ash swirling within its bowels, looking outward with burning eyes — glared at the boisterous figure. "Why are you here?"
Mister P chortled. "Just taking an opportunity to go on a jaunt! My minder is occupied at the moment, so I felt like having a bit of a lark!"
"Your minder?" asked Mana.
xxxx
/Meanwhile, back in Tokyo-3/
Misato, Kensuke, and Toji all stared, slack-jawed, at the proverbial labyrinth of books that was pretending to be a teenage girl's bedroom.
Ryuji couldn't help but whistle. "That's honestly kind of impressive."
Mayumi nervously twisted her toes into the floor, murmuring, "I...like to read...?" she offered as a halfhearted defense.
"This is a bit more than 'like'!" Toji impulsively replied.
xxxx
"Never you mind," said Mister P, ignoring Mana's question to turn towards Shinji. "So my little chickadee; how went your little 'Exposition Party' in the blue room?"
Shinji and Mana both looked at the bird-man with alarm. "Not just the War in Heaven and the Throne of God...but the Velvet Room too?" Mana growled. "Who are you?"
"Does it really matter?"
"...who a person is can say a lot of things. Where they come from...how they present themselves..." Shinji glanced at the cognitive lake, where Gryphon and his Persona — Orthrus, currently — were washing. The two-headed dog was prancing about in the water, whilst the winged lion-bird was preening himself. "...you come off as kind of silly...but you're also strong. So why are you being so secretive?"
Mister P squawked with laughter. "A good question! Maybe it's just my personality to play hard-to-get; maybe I'm trying to take advantage of the very cognition of the world itself by slotting into the role of the 'Mysterious Mentor Figure', because everyone knows that such a character archetype will make it all the way to the climax. Or perhaps I'm simply playing a long con, trying to lull you all into a false sense of security."
Shinji and Mana briefly looked at each other with alarm, before memories took hold, rooting them in reality. "...you don't come across as mean-spirited enough for that," said Shinji.
"Besides, you've already showed that you were capable of kicking our asses by yourself anyhow, even without your Persona," pointed out Mana. "Why go through all the effort if it's only going to give us a chance to beat you, if you are actually a villain?"
"A compelling retort! It's important to consider possibilities, to be prudent and vigilant...but that's the nature with anyone who dares to be a teacher, a guide, or a protector, isn't it? Whether it's someone like Sojiro Sakura, or Misato Katsuragi, or Ryuji Sakamoto, or yours truly...what does it matter, in the grand scheme of things, if the mentor earns the trust of the mentee?" Mister P looked at them shrewdly, running a hand through his mohawk. "So long as you chickadees survive and make it to the end...does it truly make a difference, if you trust me or not?"
"But wouldn't it be easier if we could trust you?" asked Shinji with honest confusion.
"And what if the lessons I desire to teach require a healthy dose of skepticism? It is one thing for Sakura and Katsuragi to have tried to gain your trust and affection: they're practically serving as surrogate parents. But as for me...I don't have that constraint." In the blink of an eye, he was behind them, tapping their skulls — almost mockingly gently — with gloved fingers. "Even if it means you kids end up hating my guts by the end, I'll be able to bear with it if it means you'll live."
Although Mana brushed away Mister P's hand with a scowl, Shinji merely look at the tall bird-man with a quiet eye. What is he getting at...? (What questions was he trying to convince them to ask?) "...is that how you really feel, though?"
Mister P actually grinned. "Insightful! It could be that I'm being difficult because this is a mere mask I wear, hiding my 'true self' from the eyes of others...but at what point does the mask end and the true self begin?"
(This was a test.)
(Think about it. What does it mean for you to wear a mask?)
Briefly glancing at Mana — suspicion, paranoia, and frustration warring on her face — Shinji answered, "does it matter? A mask can be taken off whenever you want, right?"
At this, Mister P looked surprised...yet pleased. "A roundabout answer, but one that gets at the heart of the dilemma faced by so many! Indeed: the way we present ourselves will differ depending on the situation; different circumstances require a different 'mask', so to speak. And yet the question to always remember is this: no matter what mask you where, will you still be recognizable as 'your self'? Would people be able to look at you and recognize Shinji Ikari, regardless of the mask you happen to be wearing?"
"...is this going anywhere?" asked Mana with a grimace.
"The same question applies for you too, little missy! I'm just trying to get you to think, that's all." Cracking his knuckles, Mister P hopped back by several feet. "And a person who can always be true to themselves, regardless of the mask they happen to be wearing at any given moment...such a person won't be phased by the trials and tribulations of life."
"...I suppose so," acknowledged Shinji.
"Indeed! Now, I'm sure you have a bit of time to spare for a quick spar...after all, I'm sure at least one of you is eager to give me some comeuppance after last week's little thrashing!"
Mana immediately proved him right by charging, swinging LABRYS with abandon.
Sighing, Shinji nonetheless recalled Orthrus to his side; withdrawing his Monk's Spade, he charged into the fray.
If nothing else, he and Mana both got a good workout...
xxxx
Mayumi Yamagishi looked around her home (though she wouldn't be able to call it that for much longer) with a sense of...detached longing. The idle commentary from Katsuragi, Sakamoto, Aida, and Suzuhara provided decent background noise, if nothing else.
("...wow, this manga series went out of print over five years ago," remarked Kensuke with wide eyes, flipping through an old manga volume.)
("What kind of kid needs this many reference manuals?" wondered Ryuji aloud.)
("...I want to be impressed, but I'm honestly kind of scared," admitted Misato.)
("Can we just pay people to move this?" asked Toji, followed by the sound of a light thwack. "GAH! Damn it Ken, it's a reasonable question!")
Sitting on the couch in the living room, Mayumi tried to conjure memories of her life in this apartment.
(For as long as she could remember, her parents had been quiet and detached. The times where she accompanied them in public, their responses to other people were professional and calm, to the point where they just came across as stoic. For those who didn't look beyond the surface, they had seemed like a rather reasonable family...and it wasn't until years later where she had suspected something might be wrong with them. But by then, she had accepted her lot.)
It was...strange. She had lived here for years, but everything blended together. Finding distinctive memories was...difficult.
She would have considered all the times they had gifted her books (or provided her money to purchase the same) to be special, if she didn't suspect it had been Armisael's way of mollifying her, and making her pliant. (Like wading through cotton, for all the impact this place had on you.)
She felt like crying would have (should have) been a proper response, but it hadn't hit her yet. (Would it ever?)
The sensation of weight displacing a sofa cushion translated to her senses; the color and shape in her peripheral vision revealed it to be Misato. "Yes...?"
"How you holding up, Yamagishi-chan?"
"...you sound a bit awkward," admitted Mayumi, her mind analytically harping on something insignificantly interesting to distract her from the complicated stuff (your parents are dead, you are now an orphan, you are officially under the care of a custodian, you...). "Like you want to be less formal, but don't know if you're being too forward..."
Misato chuckled. "Caught me. Am I that obvious?"
"...I'm not one to insist on formality from those who don't want to be." It's why she was fine using Mana's given name. (Besides, it's not like she could stop Katsuragi from calling her by whatever name she desired to use.)
The woman obviously brightened at the implicit permission. "You sure?" At her resulting nod, Misato continued, "well, Mayumi-chan" (she sounded much more natural, already) "I have to ask: why do you have so many books? I mean...it's kind of a lot."
"...my home life was quiet. And I didn't really have anyone that you could call a friend growing up. Reading about history, about myths, from stories written by others...it was an escape for me."
"And you've read through all of those?"
Misato's incredulity was impossible to miss. "No. Some of I've read at, others I've reread" (multiple times, even) "and some I haven't yet touched..." Fiddling with the tips of her hair, she added, "I've gathered books faster than I could read them..."
The woman hummed thoughtfully, looking around the relatively clean apartment. "Your parents must have loved you a lot, to indulge you in the only thing you had an interest in."
"Huh?"
"I mean, I don't really know what they were like, but from the way Kurosawa talked about them, they weren't the sort of people to entertain company. Am I right?"
"...I don't recall my parents ever inviting anyone." Her home had been its own little fiefdom, utterly separate from the world, isolated in every meaningful sense of the word. "I'm not even sure if you could call their indulgence of my bibliophilia an act of love or a means of keeping me separate from others..."
"I mean, you yourself said you've gotten more books than you know what to do with. You could interpret it as the Angel keeping you under control...or you could interpret it as your parents doing the only thing they could do for you. Or do you think they wanted to be as detached as they were?"
"...I'm not sure." Looking fully towards the older woman, Mayumi asked, "Is there a reason you want to insist on your interpretation?"
Misato shrugged. "I'm no stranger to revisiting the motivations for how parents behaved after they're long gone. It's...well, it's helped me get over at least one old grudge with my old man. Besides, if they weren't monsters to you...then what's the harm in remembering them in a better light?"
Because then it'll hurt more, she thought but didn't say aloud. It was better to remember her parents as they had been instead of who they could've been...much less who they had wanted to be...
("Anyhow," continued Misato, oblivious to how she had tuned her out. "We're stacking your books into boxes, but I think I'm going to get someone to actually get all the boxes in one go, because there's no way we're fitting them all in my Renault...")
...because why think of hypotheticals that would never be? "I'm...going to get some air, if you don't mind..."
Misato nodded knowingly. "Take your time, Mayumi-chan."
That was how the bespectacled girl found herself walking around the various apartment complexes, clustered to the east of Lake Ashi. The age of her complex was obvious compared to those nearby, as it was one of the few remaining from before Hakone had transformed into Tokyo-3. Others were younger, built to support the population influx following the establishment of the future capital. In an odd way, it only cemented the reality of how long her family, the Yamagishis, had been residing within Hakone. And now I'm the last...
"Yamagishi-san?!"
The female voice brought Mayumi out of her reverie; turning around, she saw a trio of women — ranging in years from elementary school-aged, middle school-aged, and college-aged — out on a walk, drinking milk tea with boba. The middle of the three was instantly recognizable. "Ah...hello Horaki-san."
xx
At first, Hikari Horaki thought she was hallucinating. I thought she was with the others on summer vacation still. Then her mind caught up. Are they actually back? School doesn't start back up for another two weeks. "Has everyone returned from your road trip to Nishiawakura...?"
"Yes," answered Mayumi, adjusting her glasses. "We got back on Sunday."
"Is everyone okay?"
"...I would say so. For the most part. I can't exactly speak for anyone but myself..." Nervously glancing at Nozomi, she added, "perhaps we could set up a time to catch up later?"
Hikari eagerly nodded. "Of course! Maybe tomorrow, we can have lunch...and please, bring the others along as well! I'd like to know how your vacation went."
"...it was certainly eventful, that's for sure. Please excuse me," said Mayumi, lightly bowing at them before walking away.
Rei Ayanami's words from days before came to mind; the juxtaposition between the Mayumi Yamagishi of late July — uncertain and bookish — and the Mayumi Yamagishi of now — gripped by a palpable melancholy — only made her more nervous. I wonder...
The sound of a sucking straw drew her back to reality. "Who was that, neesan?" asked Nozomi.
"Oh. She's a student at Hakone Academy; she accompanied some of my peers on a summer vacation to Okayama Prefecture," explained Hikari.
Kodama frowned, looking analytically towards the departing girl. "Okayama, hmm?"
The memory of Agent Kurosawa's visit and subsequent interview immediately came to mind. "I'm sure she isn't involved in any sort of trouble, Kodama-neesan."
"What kind of trouble?" blithely asked Nozomi. "She seemed too quiet to be a troublemaker."
"It's the quiet ones you have to watch out for," murmured Kodama, with some cynicism.
Nozomi, inhaling her remaining tapioca pearls with gusto, immediately replied, "Then I guess that means dad's the one we have to look out for the most, huh?"
"That's enough," mildly cautioned Hikari, trying to turn the topic of conversation away from unpleasant matters. "Let's get back home and start getting dinner ready; Kodama-neesan will be heading back for university at the end of the week, and I'd like for us to have good memories to cap it off."
Nozomi nodded excitedly, while Kodama simply let it lie. (Better that, than to retread old and tired ground.)
(You're not going to be able to change anything. Why persist with your false smile?)
(She wondered what everyone had endured during their summer vacation.)
(Better to focus on others. That's all you can change.)
xxxx
As evening rolled on, Misato, Ryuji, Toji, Kensuke, and Mayumi reconvened at the woman's apartment, having contented themselves with packing numerous books into boxes for easy moving at a later date.
Shinji and Mana returned right as Chinese take-out arrived for dinner.
Naturally, discussion about their respective days ground to a halt when the duo spoke of Mister P's abrupt appearance. "Seriously, it's like he zips everywhere," muttered Toji around a mouthful of lo mein. "How does he pull it off?"
"Ikari and Ayanami can teleport too," remarked Mana, chewing into an egg roll.
Kensuke thoughtfully chewed at some short ribs before answering, "Judging by what NERV's own reports contain, Evangelion-users use a form of 'accelerated dimensional transition' instead of teleporting. From what little I've seen of Mister P, his abilities seem more...flexible, I guess is the word?"
Misato briefly glanced in the direction of Pen-Pen — happily gobbling from a carton of shrimp fried rice — before remarking, "Say, Shinji-kun." When he looked in her direction, she added, "what say you and me arrange a meeting with Kaji-kun tomorrow? I kind of swore that we'd pay him a visit once you got back from your road trip..."
"You did?" he said with a blink.
"Yeah. I think it's high time we get some clarity on why his Shadow decided to reach out to you." The woman smiled viciously, eating a dumpling with surprising vigor. "Yes. Clarity."
...this will go poorly. There was no other option available.
(The brief glance given by Pen-Pen was missed by all.)
"Can it wait until after we have lunch with Horaki-san?" asked Mayumi. "I...may have told her that we would meet for lunch, to talk about our summer vacation. With all of you."
Suzuhara's face curdled. "Seriously? The Class Rep is gonna have so many questions..."
"Hey, it's all up to you about how much you answer," advised Ryuji with a knowing smile. "But just from what I've overheard about this girl from you guys, she seems like the nosy do-gooder type. Might be best to indulge her curiosity if you want her to back off."
The younger teenagers all looked amongst each other; save for Mana — who didn't know Horaki at all — Shinji could tell that they were inwardly debating how much to tell the Class Representative. "Maybe we can discuss what to tell her after dinner...?"
"And maybe we can also talk about we should do for our independent summer projects!" interjected Kensuke. "We still have to deal with that, after all."
Mana frowned at the pained expressions that crossed Shinji, Toji, and Mayumi's faces. "Summer projects?" After briefly being introduced to the concept of homework and school projects, the girl was distinctly bemused. "...Persona-users have to do homework?"
It was a sentiment that Shinji inwardly shared, though he didn't voice it aloud.
xx
As the teenagers set about discussing what to make their independent project about (with Mana-chan serving as a confused spectator more than anything else), Misato and Ryuji watched from afar. "...it is kind of bizarre that they still have to do it," she couldn't help but admit.
"Eh, I wouldn't question it. Gives 'em something normal to think about for a change," offered Sakamoto.
"I guess."
"...you gonna be able to keep your cool around your ex?" Turning towards Sakamoto, the older man was looking at her with unusual seriousness. "Not my business to pry too deeply...but you haven't exactly made your feelings about him a secret."
Misato snorted. "And?"
"Just...try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. This guy and his Shadow's apparently been involved in stuff they shouldn't be. No need to spook him."
"...he and his Shadow both know about Mister P," she reiterated. "Now that we're back in Tokyo-3...there's no time like the present to finally get to the bottom of whatever mysteries they're involved with." The foreboding tone of Mister P's words to Shinji and Mana, as relayed by the two children, didn't sit well with her. I will find out.
Sakamoto, mercifully, let the subject lie.
After he departed, Misato offered to let the boys sleepover instead of hoofing it back to the Academy dorms. Idle chatter quickly wound down to slumbering as the night wore on.
(Misato tossed and turned in her own bed, plagued by memories of happier days.)
(Mana slept soundly, comforted by memories of a halcyon youth.)
(Mayumi stared listlessly, unable to square the unfamiliar room with the ambivalent feelings she possessed about her old apartment. Exhaustion finally claimed her eventually.)
(The trio of boys, sleeping on futons in the living room, slept like proverbial logs.)
All was quiet.
xx
Long after everyone was asleep, Pen-Pen poked his head out of his personal refrigerator with caution. Nodding to himself, he ducked back in...and promptly dipped out of reality, falling through a white portal and into an old yet familiar filing cabinet. With patience, he tapped his claws against the metal surface of the drawer.
Sure enough, moments later, Ryoji Kaji — wrapping another night at the Melon Patch in his office — opened the filing cabinet with a curious look. "Is there a fire?"
"So to speak," calmly answered Pen-Pen. "Misato is going to pay you a visit tomorrow."
"Ah. That could be a problem," he admitted with a weary grin. "Misato can be stubborn if she puts her mind to it...and I'm not exactly the best at keeping a secret when she's already made it this far."
"And you haven't had much time to bond with the boy, have you? I can tell that your Social Link with him is...still rather feeble."
Kaji shrugged, uncaring for the insistent terminology. "Haven't exactly had much opportunity. And depending on how feisty Misato is, I might not ever have that opportunity going forward."
"Quite. Which is why it's time for a little diversion."
And so they discussed their options before settling on a plan...
xxxx
END OF 8/24/2015
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Author's Note: This is definitely a transitory arc of sorts, setting things up for the future while dealing with the consequences and aftermath of everything that happened during the road trip.
But hey, Shinji's Emperor Social Link with Mister P is now at Rank 4. That's something, at least!