Chapter Text
8/21 - Afternoon - Naganaki Shrine - Kotone
Kotone peered at the playground in the shrine. Maiko wasn’t here again.
After talking with Junpei, something’s been growing within her, and it took the shape of Maiko occupying her mind. As Kotone grew closer to her, the more something inside her felt wrong about Maiko’s situation. However, until she spoke to Junpei, she pushed it far from the top of her mind. But, after seeing Junpei bottling his issues, and it exploding on everyone, she couldn’t ignore Maiko’s problem. It irked her enough to keep herself from ignoring the situation. A voice in her head told her she couldn’t just sit back and let it happen.
That’s... that’s what friends are for, right? Maiko was in a dangerous situation, and Kotone recognized it. Neglect. Physical abuse.
She didn’t just recognize it; she knew it. Her family did the same thing. Sure, they never hit her, but they constantly neglected her.
She still has time. She can’t let that happen to Maiko.
Seeing as no one was here, Kotone left the shrine.
Still, just because she recognized the situation didn’t mean she knew what to do. However, she knows someone who might.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/22 - Midnight - Outside Tartarus - Yukari
Yukari groaned as she stretched her hands over her head, facing away from Tartarus. They just finished another run, finally reaching the next gate. The team felt prepared for the next Full Moon Shadow Operation. If she remembered correctly, it should be the Hermit Shadow. They had no idea what it will be like, but with how strong they’ve become, they weren’t afraid of what it could be. They just need to fight as they always do, and they’ll be fine.
Still...
“What will happen once we end the Dark Hour...?” she murmured. Strega. Sure, no one in the team mentioned them again, but their words were still in everyone’s minds; she was sure of it. It’s been almost a month since they met Strega, and a lot of things have happened in between since then. It wasn’t like she could think about their words in depth.
It’s good that the Dark Hour will end when they stop the Full Moon Shadows, right? It took away her dad. It killed so many people in the past. It continues to hurt people now.
But what happens after? Back to that shameful woman? The woman who did nothing for her dad, who abandoned his memory?
“Yukari?” Kotone asked. “Something wrong?”
“Oh, uh...” She rubbed the back of her head. “I was just wondering about what Strega said. Have been, actually, for the past week now. What’s going to happen to us after all this? We’re losing our Personas, right?”
Kotone nodded. “Right, everything will go back to normal, to how things were before we learned about the Dark Hour.”
“Where are you guys going after this?” Yukari asked, now that Junpei and Fuuka were listening now. “We’ve been doing this stuff for a few months now that it’s sort of normal…? I’m not sure what sleeping for a few hours at night is nowadays.”
Kotone shrugged. “Not sure. I was invited to live in the dorm because I could use a Persona. If I’m done with that, maybe I’ll just go back to my uncle.”
“I already lived alone, so I’m just going back to my old place,” Junpei said, “if it’s still available...”
“My parents live in the city, so I’ll just go back to them,” Fuuka added.
“Uh, you guys know things could change a lot in two to three months, right?” Ren asked. “I went through a lot of things between October and December. You still have time to change things up. Maybe find a new apartment with all the money we got.”
Junpei smiled dreamily. “From a six-tatami mat to an actual apartment with a bedroom would be so nice...”
“Amamiya is correct,” Mitsuru interjected. “With your service, helping you in your next step in life would be the least we could do. You don’t even need to leave the dorm; you have the entire school year to stay, and we could extend it to even the summer.”
Akechi snorted. “Once I’m done with this, I’m leaving; you guys can keep sucking up to each other.”
“Rude...” Yukari grumbled. She didn’t know what it was about him that angered her. His words were laced with sarcasm, wit that left others in the dust, and ruthlessness in his tongue and hand. Akechi pulling a gun to kill someone was fresh in her mind, another memory that wouldn’t leave her be.
“... Offer stands to you as well,” Mitsuru said smoothly, though Yukari felt like she saw her eye twitch. Maybe it was just the lighting.
“I think I said this before, Yukari,” Ren said, “but your Personas are you. Whether you lose the ability to manifest it or not, it will continue to be with you. And the Collective Unconscious has always existed and will continue to do so, even after The Dark Hour disappears. It’s just a matter of the entrance disappearing momentarily,” he continued with a shrug.
Mitsuru hummed. “You mentioned that the Metaverse came back, correct? These Cages of Sins?”
Ren waved his hand in a so-so manner. “It wasn’t that the Metaverse came back, but someone managed to recreate the Metanav.”
“And to think an app can do that...” Mitsuru said with a sigh. “Doesn’t that mean there’s a chance Tartarus will appear in the future?”
Yukari shivered at the thought that the Dark Hour could come back.
“Yeah,” Ren said, “but no one knows how it will happen, nor when. Not even I heard anything about this in my timeline. Maybe it disappeared by the time I learned about these things.”
“Even if Tartarus comes back in the future, I still plan on fighting against it right now,” Yukari interjected. “My dad died trying to stop it; I have to finish what he started. Isn’t it the same for you, Mitsuru-senpai?”
Mitsuru gave a solid nod. “Indeed. I’m just planning for the future, for what comes after. If anything...” she said with a hum. “Maybe I can ask the Chairman for some notes; he was the leading researcher.”
“That man isn’t just the principal of your school?” Akechi asked, and Mitsuru gave another nod.
“He is one of the oldest members in the Kirijo Group. He joined around the time my grandfather caused the Tartarus incident, and he was part of the research team for a few years before he became the principal of our school at my behest.”
“Your behest?” Ren asked the same question Yukari had in mind.
It surprised her that the man that created puns daily, the principal of her own school, had a very intertwined history with the Kirijo Group. She knew he was close to Mitsuru’s father, but with Mitsuru, too? That was new.
“Yep,” Akihiko said. “It was around the time Mitsuru decided to start SEES, or at least the beginnings of it. I still remember the day you asked me to join you. It was the first thing you said, and it was our first meeting, too.”
Mitsuru blushed with a cough. “That was a long time ago. I don’t think-“
“You gave me a gun out of nowhere, right after saying I needed a riskier challenge!” Akihiko barked. “I half thought you meant going down on a gang!”
“I was young,” Mitsuru countered. “I didn’t think my words could be construed as such.”
While Mitsuru and Akihiko continued to go down memory lane, Yukari caught Ren in silence.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Her question took him out of his thoughts, and he said, “Just trying to remember what we have in the fridge. Might be time to go for another grocery run.”
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/23 - Afternoon - Naganaki Shrine - Kotone
Ren: Just ordered takoyaki. She seems fine at the moment.
Kotone: Thx, Ren. Can you keep an eye on her? So long as you’re near her, it’s okay.
Ren: :ThumbsUp:
Kotone: Ty
Kotone sighed as she waited for Maiko’s parents to arrive. From what the girl said, she left a note saying she ran away. And if her parents knew her, they’d know she hung around the shrine. They should at least check this area first.
If they didn’t bother looking for her, then they were just as bad as Maiko said they were.
Kotone’s face scrunched up on that thought.
The pain of having dismissive guardians... She knows how that is, and no one should have to go through that.
She can’t help everyone, but she should at least try to help someone in front of her. It’s what Ren would do.
And so, here she was, waiting for people that might not even come.
And if they didn’t come, well, she’ll think of something later.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
Maiko: Kotone-nee-chan, do you still remember what I told you before? I want to do that today.
Kotone knew what Maiko meant: her plan to “run away” to prove her parents’ love for her. But if Kotone wanted to do something about her situation, then she needed to do more than just watch on the sidelines.
“Ren, do you have some time today?” Kotone asked, causing Ren to look up from whatever he was cooking. From what she smelled, it was grilled chicken.
“I think I do, what’s up?”
She took a deep breath. “One of my... friends... Her parents hit her,” she explained, “and I want to do something about it.”
“And what do you plan on doing?”
Uh... “Confront her parents...?” she answered with a hesitant shrug. She’s never done something like this before.
Her response caused Ren to hum. “Mind if I make a suggestion?”
-.-Take Your Time-.-
“One order of takoyaki, please,” Ren ordered, handing the payment in cash. The employee took the money with a nod and left for the kitchen. “You said you’re okay with takoyaki, right, Maiko-chan?”
Maiko nodded vigorously. “Yeah! Takoyaki’s great! Thank you for coming with me, Ren-san!”
“You’re so well-behaved, Maiko-chan,” Ren chuckled, rubbing Maiko’s head. “Still can’t believe you’d want to run away.” He sighed as Maiko protested him rubbing her head.
“Ren-san, you’re sure okay with coming with me?”
“Yup, no worries. We can’t exactly have kids facing these kinds of problems on their own, you know?”
“But-“
“Nuh-uh, no buts. Just leave this to big sis and big bro, okay?”
As Maiko began to rub her head against his palms, he sighed once more. ‘I hope you got this, Kotone. We can’t let her get hurt anymore.’
-.-Take Your Time-.-
It was nearly fifteen minutes later that Kotone began to hear shouting.
She turned towards the staircase of the shrine, and she saw two young adults, one businessman and one woman in a dress. Both look hurried, their hair not in their proper places, and instead were everywhere.
“Do you see her?!” the woman yelled as both looked around the shrine. Kotone met her eyes and the woman locked on to her. “YOU! Have you seen a child in the area?!” the woman screeched, stomping her way through her.
Naganaki Shrine was in the middle of a rural area of the city, and yet the woman was screaming at the top of her lungs. Luckily, it was in the middle of a summer day. There shouldn’t be anyone that would care, right?
On the other hand, the lungs of that woman surprised her so much she couldn’t answer her back.
When she reached Kotone, she forcefully grabbed her and screamed, “HAVE YOU-“
“CAN YOU LET HER BREATH?!” the man yelled at the woman, pulling her away from Kotone. “Can you take a look at what’s around you? You’re always like this!”
The woman whipped around to face the man and began poking him with a finger. “Can you show some emotion?! Our daughter is gone now, and all you damn care about is calming down?!”
“We can’t find her if all you do is yell at people!”
“You being so passive won’t either!”
The two kept yelling, and Kotone could barely follow them. She rubbed her forehead, now hurting from the increasing volumes between their arguments.
She finally sighed and said, “Excuse me.” However, the two didn’t stop. “Excuse me!” Again, they only ignored her. She exhaled, took a deep breath, and yelled, “EXCUSE ME!”
“WHAT?!”
“WHAT?!”
Finally, their attention was on her. “You were saying something about a daughter?”
Before the woman could say anything, the man coughed into his fist. “Yes, our daughter, Maiko, ran away from home. She frequents this area, so we thought we could find a clue to where she went. This is what she looks like.” He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a wallet. He fumbled for a bit, eventually pulling a photo.
Kotone gulped. It was a family photo of Maiko and her parents, maybe a bit younger than her now.
“Have you seen this little girl?” he continued. “Please, anything will help!”
‘Maiko wanted to run away to see if her parents actually cared about her, right? Them looking for her already shows that. They also seem genuine in trying to find her, too. I think this is enough proof they care, right? But...’
“I have seen her, actually,” Kotone said, and the parents’ eyes lit up. “My friend is keeping her company, making sure she doesn’t get far.”
The woman grabbed her shoulders before she finished her sentence. “WHERE IS SHE?!” she demanded as she shook Kotone.
“She can’t answer you if you keep shaking her!” the man yelled as he pulled the woman away. “You were saying, ma’am?”
Kotone managed to sigh. The woman was far too hot-headed, but she kept that to herself. “Let me message my friend,” she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
Kotone: Have you guys moved?
Ren: Still at the takoyaki stand
Kotone: Still?!
Ren: Maiko loves takoyaki, apparently
Ren: Any updates?
Kotone: Her parents came, will be coming over now. Plan is proceeding as planned.
Ren: :ThumbsUp:
“Follow me,” Kotone said, and the two urgently nodded.
Kotone led the adults to the Iwatodai Mall, and they all saw Ren and Maiko sitting together in front of the takoyaki stand. As Ren said, Maiko seemed fine, taking another piece of takoyaki.
“Maiko!” the parents yelled, running towards the pair.
Maiko jolted up, and her head snapped towards the loud voices. Her face lit up and she cried, “Mom! Dad! You found me!”
“Are you okay, darling?! Are you hurt?” the mom asked as she kneeled in front of Maiko. She cupped Maiko’s head, turning her left and right, looking for some sort of injury. “What happened...?” Her eyes bore at the boy next to Maiko. “And who are you?! What did you do?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s this girl’s friend,” the father said, pointing at Kotone. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“I’m okay, mom,” Maiko said, taking everyone’s attention.
“Oh, what a relief...” the mom sighed before she took a breath. “How dare you run away from home! Do you have any idea how worried I was?! You almost gave me a heart attack, young lady!”
Before the husband could say anything else, a gruff voice behind them said, “Excuse me, ma’am.” Everyone turned their heads and was greeted by a policeman. However, for Kotone and Ren, that policeman was the familiar Kurosawa. “We believe there was a cause of disturbance in the area?”
“Nothing at all, sir!” the mother yelled, waving her hands in front of her. “Just a familial problem, is all.”
“Is that so?” Kurosawa asked.
“Indeed, sir,” the father said. “Our daught-“
“These two hurt their daughter,” Ren interrupted, “and she ran away. My friend and I did our best to keep her safe.”
“What?!” the mom shrieked. “You-!”
Kotone began making way next to Ren. “Maiko told me herself,” she said, now beside Ren and between Maiko and her parents. “You,” she pointed at the father, “hit her last month,” Kotone now pointed at the mother, “and you decided to pin the blame on Maiko instead of protecting her.”
“A lie, officer!” the mom screamed. “Both of them are lying!”
Kurosawa sighed deeply. “There will be an investigation in all this,” he said as he shifted his cap on his head. “For now, the two of you will be separated from Maiko-“
“Wait!” Maiko yelled as she pushed between Kotone and Ren. “It wasn’t like that! My parents did nothing wrong! It was my fault!”
The area grew silent at her words, a confession at this point.
“Sir, ma’am, you’re both under arrest for child abuse,” Kurosawa grunted. “You will have to come with me for questioning.”
The mother growled and whirled around towards Ren and Kotone. As she reached out to the pair, who pulled Maiko behind them, the father held her, stopping her.
“What are you doing?!” the mother shrieked as she struggled in his arms. “These brats-!”
“I’m stopping you from making this even worse!” the father answered. When the mother finally stopped struggling, he turned to Kurosawa and said, “We’ll come with you, officer. But, please, can you tell us where she’ll go for now? We’re the only ones she has in the city.”
Kurosawa’s eyes studied the parents before turning to Ren and Kotone. “She’ll be in safe hands until the social workers get to her tonight.”
“These children?” the father asked. “Surely there’s someone more-“
“They work with the Kirijo and are in close contact with the police and local hospitals,” Kurosawa answered immediately. “I can assure you they are one of the safest people to be with. Now, let’s move along; the fast we get to the station, the faster I can send a social worker to fetch her.” He glanced towards Kotone. “Can I assume you’ll be in the dormitory?”
Kotone nodded as she gripped Maiko closer to her. “You got it. We’ll stick with her until the very end.”
Kurosawa nodded again and began leading the parents away, presumably towards the police car.
Behind her, she felt a tug on her clothes. “W-what’s happening?” Maiko asked with tears in her eyes. “I- I don’t-“
“Maiko,” Ren said as he knelt down. “Getting hit like how you described isn’t good.” Maiko opened her mouth to say something, but Ren interrupted her. “It wasn’t your fault; an adult should know not to hit their own kids, even more so to blame them for it. They hurt you, Maiko, and Kotone’s done just looking at the sideline,” he said, glancing at Kotone with a soft smile.
Kotone blushed as something erupted in her chest. It was a hot feeling, and it... It felt good, so good even she couldn’t stop the smile forming on her face.
“Like I said, Maiko,” she said, copying Ren, “I plan on sticking with you to the end. I hesitated when I heard you talk about it, and I’m sorry it took me so long to act and for not telling you about all this, but it just doesn’t seem right to not do anything at all. I can’t just look away anymore.” Kotone gently pulled Maiko closer to a hug.
Kotone heard a sniff beside her. “But it was just one time!” Maiko pleaded. “They won’t do it again!”
“We’re not sure about that, Maiko,” Kotone said. “But that’s why we’re here: to make sure it doesn’t happen again, okay?”
“It was brave of you to tell Kotone,” Ren said, “and even braver for you to run away, even if it was to see if your parents truly cared about you, but sometimes you need help. What your parents did was something far beyond what you should be facing, and it’s okay to ask for help. It hurt when they did that, didn’t it?”
Kotone felt Maiko nod on her shoulders, now wet from tears. She rubbed the girl’s head, hoping to calm her down.
“And we’ll make sure they don’t hurt you again,” Kotone said.
Maiko nodded again with a sob.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/23 - Evening - Kotone
When Kotone and Ren arrived in the dorms earlier today, Mitsuru greeted them with a glare. She told them to sit and wait for the others to arrive.
Kotone guessed she already heard the news from Kurosawa. As everyone else entered the dorms, they either shot the pair a confused look or a raised eyebrow. When everyone finally arrived, Mitsuru practically demanded an explanation on their side of the story.
Kotone could feel the sweat start to appear on her forehead as Mitsuru’s glare sharpened when she finished explaining the afternoon’s events.
“And now, we’re here...” she spoke, gradually getting quieter and quieter under her upperclassman’s glare.
“And through all that,” Mitsuru said, “you didn’t bother to tell me anything, even a heads up?” Kotone swore she could see the frost around Mitsuru. “And you,” she glanced at Ren. “Anything to say for yourself?”
“If you expect an apology from him,” Akechi said with a huff from the kitchen, “then you’ll only get disappointment!” He put plates on the table, his turn to help out in the kitchen, with Shinjiro the chief cook.
Mitsuru glared at him, only to receive a smirk from him.
“I’m sorry...” Maiko muttered. “It’s all my fault.”
Mitsuru’s glare weakened. “It’s not; Kotone and Ren did the right thing to help you. My only gripe is they didn’t tell me.”
“‘Gripe?’” Maiko repeated before shaking her head. “Um... so they’re not in trouble?”
“Gripe means to complain,” Yukari explained beside her.
“Indeed,” Mitsuru said with a nod. “I would like a heads up, especially if you’re doing something this drastic. We have a lot of things on our plate; now we have to house a child.”
Ikutsuki’s door clicked open, taking everyone’s attention.
“The social worker is on her way,” Ikutsuki said as he left his office. “She’ll have a therapist and doctors to help. Kotone-chan, Ren-kun, can she stay with the both of you? She knows both of you best, and it would be better to have you around her in these times.”
“What will be the housing arrangement?” Ken asked. “There’s barely any room left in the dorm, and even if there were, there are... requirements, right?”
Ikutsuki nodded. “Indeed. However, it’s not like she can’t stay here for now. Maiko-chan will just stay with Kotone-chan, at least for the foreseeable future.”
“Really?!” Maiko asked with a sudden jump. “Does that mean I can have a sleepover with Kotone-nee-chan?”
“Better than that, Maiko-chan,” Ikutsuki said with a smile. “You’ll be living with her!”
Maiko cheered as she hopped to hug Kotone.
“It won’t stop with just Shiomi,” Mitsuru said with a glint in her eyes. “Amamiya will assist Shiomi with taking care of Oohashi while she stays here. Will this have any bearing to our activities?”
“We’ll make sure it won’t,” Kotone said as she returned Maiko’s hug.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/24 - Morning - Iwatodai Market - Ren
“You know,” Ren began, “I didn’t expect you to come with me on a grocery run.”
Junpei gave him a shrug. “Neither do I, to be honest. This isn’t exactly my kind of thing. That said, I don’t even see why you would need to; the Kirijo employees deliver groceries to us already.”
“Well, yeah, but there’s something about doing it yourself, you know?” Ren said.
Junpei grunted in return, opting to keep quiet while they viewed the vegetable stands.
Sunomono goes well with chicken katsu. That said, maybe I should make the cucumbers thicker? Though, I’m not sure if Ken and Maiko would like it. Pickles, on the other hand, would go well with hamburgers...
“Planning to make sunomono?” Junpei asked as he peered over the stands.
“Not as thin, for a change in pace,” Ren answered. “I was planning on making it thicker, which ends up making it crunchy. Pairing with chicken katsu, it would give a distinct taste while still keeping the crunch.”
“Will the kids even like that?” Junpei asked. “I was thinking of getting snacks for them.”
“Can’t exactly expect snacks to keep them full. We’ll have to find proper food for them,” Ren said with a huff. He peered over to aisles at the back. “I was thinking about making ramen, actually.”
“WHAT?! You can make ramen? Wait, don’t make ramen at the dorms!” Junpei screamed. Well, nearly screamed. He put a lot of energy into that, but he wasn’t actually too loud.
“Why?”
“Because it’ll make ramen less special!” Junpei answered, hands on his sides. “Going out for ramen is part of what makes it special!”
Ren tilted his head as he thought about it. “That makes sense.”
It didn’t. Maybe Ryuji would understand.
“Still, I’m surprised you can make ramen,” Junpei said as he relaxed.
Ren waved it off. “Nothing special, just a couple of the more ordinary or less complicated ones.”
“Like what?”
“Miso ramen, for the most part,” Ren replied. “Do you want to buy anything?”
Junpei hummed as he checked the basket. Cucumbers, strawberries, onions, mushrooms.
“Definitely meat.” Junpei’s face scrunched up. “What do you think about having a barbeque on the roof?”
His question caused Ren to raise an eyebrow. “You think we can do that? The rooftop’s been closed off since the April event, I believe.”
“You’re right, but I think Mitsuru-senpai had some wire frames put up. It should be safe now, too. The dorm hasn’t been attacked for a while now. And it’s not like we’re having the barbeque at midnight.”
“That’s true,” Ren said. “Think you can get the meat for it? I’ll get the sauces and the remaining veggies.”
Junpei grinned with a thumbs up and left immediately.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
Junpei’s teeth ground as Ren and he made their way back to the dorm.
He went with Ren to the local market to say something to Ren. But whenever he thought about apologizing to Ren, his mouth wouldn’t open. He really wanted to apologize; he really did. Was this his pride controlling him? Was he still bitter?
His right hand gripped itself into a fist. No. He can’t let it take him over.
He had to be better.
“Hey, Ren.”
“Yeah?”
“My bad.”
“For what?”
“For blowing up on you that night. It was my problem, and I blamed Kotone and you for it. And for that, I’m sorry.”
“Did Kotone tell you to apologize?”
“I...” Junpei sighed. “No, but if she didn’t talk with me, I wasn’t sure if I would apologize to you.”
“I accept your apology,” Ren simply said.
Junpei swiftly turned his head at his companion. “What?”
Now it was Ren’s turn to turn his head at him. “What do you mean, ‘What?’ You apologized, I accepted.”
“That easily?”
“Of course?” Ren said with a tilt of his head. “Your apology seemed genuine, so I think you mean it. What else am I supposed to do?”
“I dunno, be angry for a bit?”
Ren smiled nervously. “I mean... I don’t mean to belittle, but when someone messes up your life by pinning a crime on you, and someone else tries to murder you, it kinda puts life into a perspective? Nothing else can come close. And when I saw Kotone and you talking like you guys made up, I knew it won’t get too bad.”
“When you put it that way... Still, it makes me feel like an idiot, like apologizing isn’t a big thing to you.”
“And that would be wrong,” Ren said, stopping in his tracks.
Junpei stopped slightly ahead of him. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Apologizing like that, with all your heart, it does matter a lot. It means that next time something happens, you’ll remember this, and I trust you won’t make the same mistake.” Ren reached out to Junpei and patted him on the back. “As long as you learn from this, I’m happy.”
He believes he’ll learn from his own mistakes? “You really think so?”
“Absolutely,” Ren said, his eyes firm with expectation. “You’re a good guy, Junpei. If you really don’t believe me, then remember that your grades got better, right?”
Junpei scoffed. “Yeah, you’re right. That did happen. You think I can do that again?”
This time, Ren smirked back. “Isn’t that how our entire conversation’s been going? Believe in yourself, man. And if you don’t think you can, we’re here for you. That’s what friends are for, right?”
Friends...
A bellowing laugh. Junpei released a laugh loud enough to surprise even Ren. Now that’s something new.
“Make sure you pick me up when I’m down then, you hear?” Junpei said with a grin and held out a fist.
Ren grinned back and bumped his fist.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/24 - Morning - Iwatodai Mall Station - Shinjiro
People moved about on the ground, coming and going as they please, without a care in the world. He noticed someone familiar coming out of the station before, and knowing him, that man was coming for him. And so, he stayed here, leaning on the railing, waiting for that someone to come up and meet him.
Finally, he heard footsteps coming from the staircase on his right.
Akihiko leaned on the railing right next to him, taking in the same sight as Shinjiro did.
“I heard what you did for Ken during the festival. Thanks for that. I’m glad you’re talking to him,” Akihiko said with a smile.
“And what the hell am I supposed to do, just ignore him?” Shinjiro sighed. “If you’re here to preach, then see ya.” He didn’t need to hear more shit coming from Akihiko. He’s as big a hypocrite as they come.
“You’re still not past that? How long do you plan to beat yourself up over it?” Akihiko asked. “You’re always at that spot behind the station, even though you don’t hang out with the crowd there.”
Shinjiro glared at Akihiko. He spouted those words, as if he’s gotten Miki’s death, but he’s not. He doesn’t want to look back, but it’s always in his mind.
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied. “It was my fault, and that won’t change. What difference does it make if I come to terms with it? It won’t change anything. This isn’t the same as what happened to Miki.”
“Shinji...”
“That’s enough already,” he said with a sigh. “I just want to forget it ever happened.”
“But you haven’t moved on,” Akihiko said back. “You’re still blaming yourself for-“
“Then we’re just pot and kettle,” Shinjiro grunted.
Before Akihiko said anything more, he left.
Was he supposed to just leave that kid be? He might have fucked up two years ago, but he couldn’t let Ken get hurt. It was his fault that kid’s fucked up, and he’ll damn make sure it won’t happen the second time.
But only for a bit more. He’s got limited time. He needs to make sure Ken is fine before going.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/24 - Morning - Iwatodai Dorm - Ken
Hurried breaths.
Left.
Right.
Running through the maze in this green world.
A roar behind them.
Mom turns around. A mistake.
Mom trips and screams.
A roar.
A second roar.
The world collapses as her mom pushes him out of the way.
Ken almost screamed waking up earlier, but he wasn’t a child. He wasn’t a child. Adults always wake up fine, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
He poured milk on top of his corn flake cereal. While the dorm usually got prepared breakfast, there were days where everyone split for the day and did things for themselves.
That dream... Why did he get it now? The anniversary is coming up, but he never had a dream like this recently. Sure, he got it at the start, but he thought he threw those memories away, all in an attempt to be normal.
But now? Now he’s fighting the very things that killed her mom. Maybe it’s his mom’s way of saying he’s doing well.
A small smile crept up on his face. Even now, his mom watched over him.
“Ken-san?” a sleepy voice called out from his side.
Taken out of his thoughts, he glanced at where the voice came from.
“Do we have more cereal?” Maiko muttered, rubbing her eyes to wake herself up.
Ken smiled. “Good morning, and yeah, we do. Are cornflakes okay?” A nod. “Sounds good. Let me get that for you.” Maiko nodded again and took the seat next to Ken.
“How are you?” he asked as he took out the cereal and milk.
“I’m doing okay,” she replied with a yawn. “Where is everyone?”
“Doing their own thing. Happens once in a while, so we have to make do with cereal. Also, here you go.”
“Thank you...” She yawned again.
“Are you sleeping well?”
Maiko nodded. “Just trying to catch up on summer homework...”
“Are you having trouble?”
“Not really, just... There’s a lot and school starts soon. Kotone-san helped out, but there’s still more to do.”
He cringed internally. That makes sense. After the sudden shift in homes, she wouldn’t have the time to work on it. On top of that, to lose your parents...
“Would you like some help?” he asked.
The question seemed to wake her up. “Really?”
“I lost my mom, and I couldn’t really do anything,” he replied. “I couldn’t focus on anything. So, I get what you’re going through, and I want to help.”
“I... Thank you!” Maiko said. “Let me get my stuff after breakfast, and we can start doing it!” Fully awake now, she began scarfing down the cereal.
Ken smiled as he took a napkin to wipe Maiko’s face.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
Akechi heard Ken before he could see him.
“That’s right, Maiko-chan,” he said. Maiko was with him? “60 and 3 adds up to 63, with 60 in the tens place and 3 in the ones place.”
Akechi reached the first floor of the dorms, and he saw Ken and Maiko sitting at the dining table, writing on some packet of paper. Was that summer homework? He’s... completely forgotten about that. Would he have to do those again before entering school? He hoped not.
“Oh... It’s you, Akechi-san. Hello,” Ken reluctantly greeted. He... scooted closer to Maiko? He also placed his arm on the table, blocking his view of the packet they worked on.
He inclined his head in response. “Amada, Oohashi. Summer homework?”
“Yeah!” Maiko said with gusto. “Ken-san is helping me with it! I’m doing the places right now.”
“I... see. And Amada is helping you with it?” he asked as he stepped closer to the two, trying to prod Ken somehow. If he was right...
“I am,” Ken answered, now shielding Maiko from him. “Where are you going for today?”
How obviously defensive of Ken. On top of that, he’s the one asking questions now?
“I have a hospital visit, then a school tour of Gekkoukan High,” he answered. No point in riling up a child.
“You’re-!”
“Indeed, I am,” he said with a smirk. “Did you think I would just twiddle my thumbs in the dorms all day long? Please, I did that for a month already; it’s mind-numbingly boring.”
“But why? You don’t even need to go to school.”
“I could say the same as Amamiya, yet I don’t see anyone question him about it,” he said with a scoff. “Anyway, seeing as you don’t want me here, I’ll get going.”
He stepped away from the two, eventually making his way out of the dorm. The sun glared at him, the summer heat pressing hard on him. He was glad Kirijo lent some money so he could buy some clothes (money that he paid back immediately; he refused to owe so many favors). Otherwise, he would have to wear his winter outfit in the middle of summer.
Kirijo said if he wanted to stay in SEES, he had to go to school, just the same as Aragaki. The memory of Kirijo and Aragaki staring down at each other, one wanting the other to go to school for a sense of normalcy, and the other the exact opposite, made him smirk. He has a debt to pay, and to do so would mean he has to stay in SEES. And if he has to go to school to stay in SEES, then so be it. He can stomach a few months of brainless fools. Kirijo and Amamiya are there, at least.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/27 - Evening - Wild-Duck Burger
“A toast to Aigis’ acceptance to school!” Junpei exclaimed, raising his cup of soda.
“It still surprises me that Mitsuru-senpai let you enter,” Fuuka said as she lifted her own cup for a bit.
“I’m even more surprised that Mitsuru-senpai, and the Chairman agreed,” Yukari said with a sip of her soda. “It was supposed to be just a joke... Is no one worried about how this will go?”
Kotone shrugged in response. “Aigis seemed fine interacting with other people.” She glanced around the restaurant. “And it’s not like people realized. So long as Aigis keeps to herself, I think she can go to school without any issues.”
“Yes, I studied human interactions through films and television,” Aigis added with a nod. “I do not believe anyone will figure it out.”
Yukari gave Aigis an unbelieving glare before turning to Kotone. Kotone only held a double peace sign. She instead glanced at Fuuka, though she only returned a demure smile. Fuuka was too much of a wallflower. The only other adult in the group was...
“Don’t look at me,” Ren said, somehow reading her mind. “I also think she should go outside and meet people.”
Yukari groaned as she hung her head. “Really?”
“I mean, it’s easy to see she’s rough around the edges in terms of copying humans,” he said as he sipped his drink. “The only way to fix that is to keep interacting with other people.”
“If anything, I’m more worried about Akechi going to school...” Fuuka said with a sip of her own drink. “He didn’t really seem to be the type.”
“I’m actually surprised he decided to go to school,” Ren said. “I thought he hated people.”
“Will that be a problem?” Yukari asked.
Ren shook his head. “He can behave himself when he’s not fighting. I just thought he wouldn’t bother with school at all. That said, enough about the guy. What about your summer homework? Did you all finish?”
“Pretty much,” Kotone said, “since a couple days ago, after I finished all that stuff while helping out with Maiko with her own homework.”
“Did she finish hers?” Fuuka asked.
“I’m helping her out again later tonight... Does anyone want to do a study sesh tonight?” she asked with a smile. “For anyone that’s not done, that is.”
“I don’t mind helping out,” Yukari said. “I’m almost done with mine, and I just need to finish up a few more questions. And you, Junpei,” Yukari glared at Junpei, “how far are you with yours?”
“I’ll let you know I started mine!” Junpei said with a victorious grin.
“Again, how far are you?”
“...” Junpei muttered.
“I didn’t catch that,” Yukari said, a glint in her eyes. “What was that?”
“I just finished one subject...”
Yukari groaned. “You did relatively well on the exams, and you backtrack to this?!”
“Hey now, studying requires forming habits,” Ren said.
Kotone nodded. “At least we found out right now, right? You are joining us, right, Junpei?” she asked with a glint in her eyes.
“Yes, ma’am!” Junpei said with a salute, definitely not afraid. “I’d like to finish this as soon as I can!”
“...Huh...” Yukari said, her frown loosening up before sighing. “At least there’s that, I guess.”
“I can help out as well, but not every day,” Fuuka said. “I promised Natsuki-chan to help with her own homework.”
“I’m surprised you’re friends with her, after everything she did to you,” Junpei commented. “You’d think you’d hold some sort of grudge...”
“Only goes to show how nice Fuuka is,” Kotone replied with a smile.
“Have you guys shown Maiko around the neighborhood, by the way?” Yukari asked. “School’s about to start, and she’ll need to change her address and all that.”
“Haven’t gone out with Maiko yet,” Kotone said, “but Mitsuru-senpai and the Chairman said they’ll take care of the legal work stuff. I’ll definitely bring Maiko around tomorrow to tour the area.”
“I’ll come with,” Ren added. “Seeing as I took part in all this, I’m also responsible for making sure Maiko transitions to her new living space.”
“You better!” Yukari said, pointing a finger at him.
Fuuka chuckled beside her. “It sounds like Yukari’s pretty worried, too.”
“Of course I would; she’s practically alone now.”
“Aww, did Maiko trigger your big-sis vibes, Yuka-tan?”
“You’re not worried about her?”
“Hey now, I didn’t say that. I’m just teasing,” Junpei said before sighing. “That said, we kinda need to be careful, even at the dorms again. It’s just like back then, before Ken joined us.”
Fuuka hummed. “That is true. We don’t want to reveal anything related to the Dark Hour to her.”
Junpei slouched, resting his arms and head on the table. “Ah man, and I was so getting used to the freedom at the dorms...”
“Speaking about the dorms, it’s getting late, isn’t it?” Kotone said, peeking at windows of the restaurant as she noticed the sky began to darken. “We should go back. Mitsuru-senpai might want to put in some additional training, with our deadline coming up.”
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/29 - Afternoon - Port Island Station - Junpei
Junpei let out a sigh as he stretched in front of the station.
“Man, finally got away from Yuka-tan,” he said. “I’m almost done with the homework, but I need some time for myself, too. Still, this year’s going fast. It’s already the second semester. Next year, I’ll be a senior...”
It’s been, what, four months since he moved into the dorms and became a part of SEES. And all that, gone in a flash. It’s already September, and the last big fight is probably going to be around the corner. Ikutsuki mentioned three Full Moon Shadows might appear this time. Two Shadows were bad enough, but now they’ve got three to fight at the same time.
“Would be nice if those Shadows fought one by one now... Maybe this thing would last until next year...” he muttered before recognizing someone very distinct in the plaza. “She’s drawing again...”
He tried to get closer to her, just to peek at whatever she drew, but she noticed him before he could.
“...You again?” Her voice was pretty monotone, but even he could tell by the slight annoyance in her tone.
“I-uh... I’m surprised you remember me.”
She narrowed her eyes as he approached. “Same here...”
“You kinda stand out in that dress...”
The girl stared at him for a second longer before returning to her pad.
Taking that as not a no, he decided to get closer.
“So... What are you drawing?”
“Nothing,” she answered. Her hands continued to draw shapes and lines that he couldn’t make anything out of. “Why?”
“Uh, no reason... I was just thinking, it must be nice to have something you’re really into.”
“It’s no big deal... I only draw because I like to...”
“Oh, yeah?” Weird, she wasn’t looking up from her drawing as she continued to work on it. Was everything in her head? “Still, I’d like to see it when you’re done, okay?” he asked before turning back into the station. He still had homework, after all.
He couldn’t explain it, but something about her made him curious. A gothic lolita girl drawing in the middle of a plaza? That’s pretty new.
-.-
It’s only been two days since he last saw her, and he’s starting to regret getting curious. This girl is crazy, no two ways around it.
“What’s up with you?” the girl complained as he tied his handkerchief around her wound. “It’s just a wound.”
“Just a wound?! You’re bleeding hard!”
“It looks worse than it actually is.”
“That’s not the point!”
Junpei sighed in relief as he looked at his handiwork. It’s not bad, but considering the situation, it’ll do until she gets her hand looked at.
“What is it with you?! Why don’t you mind your own business?!”
“Anyone would freak out over this. Man, you need a doctor,” he muttered. “...Do you want me to go with you?”
Awkward silence hung between them. Junpei glanced at Chidori, seeing as she didn’t respond.
She was looking at him like he was crazy!
“Hey-“
“You’re weird,” she said as she stood up. “Chidori.”
“Huh?”
“That’s my name. You asked, right, Junpei?” she said. “I’m almost done with the picture. I doubt you’ll understand it, but if you want to see it, then you know where to find me.”
“That’s not important right now!” He tried to get to her as she made her way to the station.
However, she stepped into the crowd and disappeared, leaving without looking back.
What is with her?!
-.-Take Your Time-.-
8/31 - ??? - Shinjiro
It was expressionless, but even he could tell it was judging him.
‘You keep hesitating, and I can’t stand back anymore.’
That, he knew. He always tried to hold it back but, at that night, it grew too powerful, too angry that its prey escaped.
When they found that prey again, it didn’t give a shit anymore. It rampaged that night, uncaring about who was there.
‘Maybe if you actually tried to learn, to understand, maybe you’d have more control.’
He wanted to scream. He didn’t want this to start with. Hell, he’s not even fighting for himself.
He joined because that moron joined.
It laughed at his excuse him.
‘You can’t not want to fight but still be there with your brother. Even more reason now that the kid’s here. You can’t hesitate when you have things you want to do! You can’t make it up to him if you keep-‘
-.-
Shinjiro woke up with a start. That nightmare... It’s never been this strong before, so clear. Sure, when he missed out on meds, Castor’s voice would haunt him in his dreams. But to be this clear, so close?
‘Just a month. I can hang in there.’
He looked at Akihiko, his roommate, worried that he was screaming in his nightmare. Thankfully, Akihiko kept sleeping.
That dumbass always tired himself out, trying to squeeze in any training he could. It didn’t mean he overslept, but more that he was a heavy sleeper.
Shinjiro sighed in relief. He was already a mess. He didn’t want to drag others in.
He can’t. Just a month. He can last that much.
As he tried to sleep, he could hear the taunting laugh of Castor.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
9/1 - Morning - Elementary School - Maiko
Maiko liked Kotone-nee-chan. Really liked her. Ren-nii-chan too, but she knew Kotone-nee-chan longer, so she was higher. Also, she could see his smirk behind nee-chan. That traitor.
“You have our phone number, right?”
But this is really getting to her.
It was decided that Kotone-nee-chan and Ren-nii-chan would walk her to school. It was nice to spend even more time with them. They even spent time around the neighborhood and even learned how to get to school from the dorm.
“Yes, nee-chan,” Maiko replied, “I have your phone numbers. Ren-nii-chan’s too.”
“And the dorm’s?”
“That, too.”
“We’ll come pick you up after school, okay?” Kotone said.
Kotone-nee-chan wasn’t as overprotective as her mom, and Maiko knew she was just trying to look out for her, but they’ve been at this for a while now. In front of the school gates, too! Everyone’s watching!
“I know. Aren’t you going to be late?” she asked.
“The Chairman’s going to write up an excuse letter for us, so don’t worry about us. Plus, the train is nearby. We can take the next one,” Kotone said before giving a hug. “If anyone gives you a hard time, you can tell us, okay? People love to gossip about family drama.”
Maiko returned the hug. “Okay...”
“She’ll be fine, Kotone,” Ren said as he approached the two, then patted Kotone on the back. “We still need to get to class. We may get excused, but it won’t do us any good to be late for the first day back.”
“I guess...” she said, letting go of Maiko before waving at her. “We’ll get going now. Take care!”
Maiko waved back, and the two left for the station. She continued to wave before releasing a sigh.
They finally left.
She turned around, joining the other students as they trickled through the gates.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
9/3 - Evening - Paulownia Mall
“You sure you don’t want to come with, Theo?” Kotone asked. “I don’t mind having you with us.”
Theo shook his head. “Thank you, but I am sure. My sister has not been outside the Velvet Room since her arrival. As she’s the one who asked you to escort you, it would be rude of me to join you two.”
“Suit yourself, then. I’ll make sure she has fun,” Kotone said with a glint in her eye.
“Yes, I believe I should then say, ‘She better be home before midnight!’” Theo said with a glint in his own eyes.
Lavenza sighed. “Perhaps it was a mistake for me to bring a television here...”
-.-
“So, you wanted to go to Game Panic?” Kotone asked Lavenza beside her, both of them standing in front of the neon signs of the arcade.
Lavenza nodded. “Indeed. There were numerous of these ‘arcades’ in Tokyo, and I was close to their locations, but I didn’t have the chance to see them, much less visit them. The anger and elation I feel in these locations piqued my curiosity.”
“You didn’t ask Ren out to an arcade before?” Kotone expected a response, but Lavenza kept quiet. “Lavenza?”
“Sorry, I was just... remembering. Our circumstances were... unusual. There were a few things that stopped me from overlooking his journey,” she answered with a forlorn expression before smiling. “That said, my Trickster never visited an arcade on his own. I do not think he even spent a full afternoon in one. I am most excited to experience one.”
They entered the arcade, and Lavenza beamed at all the bright machines. Despite the ceiling lights being off, the neon lights lit the room enough. They first started with the claw machines, doing their best to catch the doll prize.
“Hmm, no matter how I think about it, I cannot think of how the claws could hold the doll,” Lavenza grumbled. “At least, not without assistance.”
“That’s because they want you to lose,” Kotone answered. “It’s made so the claw has enough strength every so often.”
Lavenza hummed with a smile. “The store rigged the game, and yet it seems like humans still want to play it in hopes of winning the prize. Truly, humans would fight against the odds, so long as the reward seems worth it.”
“I mean, there’s no actual stake in this,” Kotone said, “but if it makes you happy, sure!”
“Still, there’s more to this location than just the claw machine,” Lavenza stated, and she began to drift between machines until she faced a machine that had a floor that flashed quickly. “What is this?”
“That’s a dance machine, specifically Dance Dance Revolution,” Kotone answered. “You have to press the buttons on the floor to follow the commands on the screen. I’ll show you!” She began fiddling with the control panel, selecting her song then difficulty. With everything loaded up, she began pressing the floor buttons in tune with the song. Nothing too fast, thankfully, since she was just showing Lavenza how to play the game. When she finished the song, she saw Lavenza smiling.
“How interesting. A game based on following footsteps to emulate dance movements. Please, allow me to try.”
Kotone helped Lavenza set up and stepped off the platform. Lavenza began slowly, and she followed the song just fine. However, when it began increasing its pace, she began wasting movement, like turning when unnecessary or crossing her legs. However, it was even faster, and with her shorter limbs, she couldn’t keep up.
She gasped in air as she glared at the failure screen. “I have... no words... Was this meant to be fun?! How was this supposed to be fun when I could not keep up?”
“Er, well, it makes sense since you’re a kid...” Kotone muttered.
“Be grateful, machine, for my Trickster told me not to use Megidolaon,” Lavenza continued, ignoring Kotone. “Fine. If I cannot do it alone-!”
A bright light engulfed Lavenza, causing Kotone to look away. When she gained her sight back, two girls in velvet blue greeted her. While they both wore eyepatches in opposite eyes, one had long braided hair and the other had hair buns. The braided girl held a clipboard while the other had a... baton?
“What...” Kotone managed to stammer out.
“Come on, Justine! Let’s beat this game. Its penance shall be holding our names in that ‘scoreboard’ thing!”
“Indeed. The audacity of this machine to make a mockery out of us is far too grievous for a simple sentence. Holding our names shall be a mark of shame.”
‘They’re... using big words that don’t actually mean anything?’ she thought. ‘Or at least, it sounds bad until you realize they just want to put in a high score... But before that...’
Kotone grabbed the two by their shoulders before they could start another game.
“What?! This machine still needs to be punished! Whatever issue you have with us, we can do so after it serves its sentence,” the girl with hair buns said with a glare.
“Hold it, you two,” she said. “I’m Lavenza’s chaperone for the day, and I would very much like an explanation on what’s going on. Where is Lavenza? And who are you two?”
The two shared a glance, a silent conversation happening between them. When that conversation seemingly ended, they looked right back at her.
“Let’s just say, even amongst our siblings, we’re pretty special,” the girl with the hair buns said.
“Our circumstances led us to be separated into two,” the braided girl, Justine, continued. “We are Lavenza, but we are also Caroline and Justine.”
“Now, can you let go so we can punish this machine?”
‘Special circumstances?’ Kotone thought as she let them go. She saw no point in grilling them, at least for now. Aggressive their mouths may be, it only made them look more precocious.
“Now that her curiosity is satisfied, let us repeat that difficulty,” Justine said.
Caroline looked back at Justine with a frown. “Why? There’s two of us now, so let’s do something harder.”
“What? No, let’s do the same difficulty.”
“No, and I’m at the controls, so I get to decide,” Caroline decided, punching down the game settings.
Kotone heard Justine grumble for a moment, but she took position behind Caroline.
“Wha-hey! Those are new!” Caroline shouted at the new inputs.
‘Oh yeah, they wouldn’t know that higher difficulties would have more inputs...’
“Caroline, you are lagging behind.”
“Sh-shut up! I know!”
‘And that it would get faster...’
And, in one unfortunate moment, Caroline and Justine tangled their legs, and it led to the two falling on the ground like a failed Twister game.
“This is why I said we should have done the original difficulty...” Justine groaned.
Caroline growled. “This machine is lucky we promised our Trickster to not use Megidolaon... Fine, let’s try the first song...”
The two untangled themselves, and Caroline began inputting the older settings. However, a yell from the other side of the arcade took their attention.
“Contractor, what is with the commotion?” Justine asked Kotone, she presumed, if the Contractor is her.
“Pretty sure that’s in the fighting game area... They tend to get very competitive there,” she answered.
Now that she thought about it, no one in the dorm was into fighting games. Ren wasn’t into arcade games, period. Junpei was into shooters, MMOs, and whatever was trendy. Yukari played simulator games. Fuuka loved puzzle and visual novel games. Akihiko-senpai played games, but he wasn’t really into it as he’d rather train. Mitsuru-senpai... She didn’t actually know. She’s never seen her with video games, period.
“I feel a large amount of emotions in that area,” Justine said.
“Yeah... Let’s check that place out,” Caroline added.
The two left the dancing game and began making their way through the arcade. As expected, it was the fighting game section. The yells and roars only got stronger as they got closer.
“Shit, it’s that string again!”
“Come on, man! You gotta duck the second hit!”
“You try playing here!” the man sitting on the arcade machine yelled. “Shit’s not reactable!”
It seemed like there was someone racking up wins. Their opponent would leave the machine in anger, and someone else took their seat. It would only take a few minutes before that person would leave the machine.
“What’s happening, Contractor?” Caroline asked.
“Fighting games are usually a player versus player game,” Kotone explained, and the girls nodded as they kept watching the arcade screen. “Whoever wins keeps their seat while the loser has to leave.”
“Then the person on the other side must be quite strong,” Justine concluded. “They haven’t left the seat while the opponent has changed three times already.”
Caroline chuckled. “So, their seat is the seat of a king, hmm? What an interesting concept, though I doubt that’s what the people here thought of when establishing the house rules. Oh? Are they-?”
“Hold on! You don’t get to leave!” someone in the crowd shouted.
Kotone tried to peer over everyone else to see what’s going on. It seemed like the person winning stood up.
“I think the winner’s leaving,” she said.
“I guess it makes sense,” Caroline said. “At some point, you’ll just get bored.”
“Then why is everyone angry?” Justine asked. “They left, so someone can just take their seat.”
“At this point, it’s no longer just about playing,” Kotone answered. “It’s about pride: everyone wants to beat the winner, or at least be the one to break the streak. Everyone’s angry because the winner is leaving while ahead...” The shouts only got louder as the victor ignored everyone in the crowd and made their way out. And with them outside the crowd, she saw a familiar face. “What the hell?”
“What is it?”
“That’s Jin from Strega!” Kotone whispered.
“Strega? The enemy Persona users?” Justine said with a hum.
Caroline hummed back with a grin. “Interesting. We have some questions. Come on, Contractor. Let’s find him.”
“What?” Kotone nearly squeaked. “Are you girls crazy? He’s a Persona user that’s willing to kill us. Why do you want to talk to him?! We should go back to the dorm, formulate a plan, and catch Jin when he comes around again!”
“Persona users will always congregate with each other, no matter what. You’ll find your chance to fight him later,” Justine said. “However, as we do not leave the Velvet Room often, I believe it is prudent for us to find him and ask our questions.”
“B-but-!”
Caroline glared at her with a frown. “No slacking off, Contractor! We should find him now if we don’t want to lose him.”
Kotone could only stare at the twin girls as they began making their way through the mall, going off to the direction where they last saw Jin. Was this something inherent to the Attendants, that they don’t understand the human world all too well? She just thought they didn’t know human customs! But do they actually not understand being enemies and things like that?
Kotone caught up and grabbed them from behind. She had to make them understand how dangerous people can be.
“What is it, Contractor?” Caroline asked with a sigh. “Can’t you see you’re dragging us behind? The longer you stop us from finding him, the more time there is between him and us.”
“You girls may not get it,” Kotone began, “but that guy is dangerous. He’s willing to kill other people just to keep Tartarus alive. You don’t just go around talking to people like that. You don’t-“
“I believe the Trickster might say there is a misunderstanding between the three of us,” Justine interrupted her. “We understand the danger he represents, but he is only dangerous to humans only. We preside over those with power, and as such, we too have power to test those with power.”
“I guess it’s understandable to think we can’t defend ourselves, but we can. Hell, we gave the Trickster, as you humans say, a run for his money,” Caroline said.
Justine smiled, her eyes closed as she seemed to reminisce. “It took him so many tries to defeat us. Still, he showed his indomitable spirit as he kept fighting, learning, toiling against us. In the end, in a show of his infinite potential, he finally won.”
“However, because of him, we’re really curious about you humans,” Caroline added. “We can’t just ask him now; we have to ask other people. That’s why we asked you to guide us to the arcade. And now, we found someone else we could ask.”
“Thus, it is imperative we find this Jin, as an enemy Persona user and as someone who has no reason to live,” Justine concluded.
“If you’re so scared of him, you can just follow a bit away from us,” Caroline said. “We can ask him ourselves.”
“You really want to ask him that much?” Kotone muttered. “Fine, we’ll go find him and ask whatever questions you have. I can’t believe this...” If she lets the girls go alone, she’ll probably feel guilty for letting children go talk with a killer. At least she’ll be with the girls to confront him?
Caroline sneered. “Good, then stop squirming around and find him. We’ve lost a lot of time as it is.”
The three continued making their way through the mall, in the direction where they had last seen him. Kotone kept looking for something green, something off that would lead Jin away from other people.
“There,” Kotone said, stopping the twins from going any further. “One of the fire exits wasn’t closed properly.”
The three ran out of the fire exit and outside the mall. Luckily, it led to the back streets and alleyways of Paulownia Mall.
Kotone’s head swiveled left and right as she tried to figure out which direction Jin went. “He’s got to be-“
“So, I wasn’t seeing things,” someone behind her said as the fire exit slammed to a close. “What do you want?”
“Jin!”
He growled. “I’m not going to ask again: what do you want? It’s pretty stupid of you to look for me when you’re alone with two kids. What? Do you actually have a death wish? I wouldn’t mind helping you in that regard.”
“We wanted to ask you some questions,” Caroline said.
Jin narrowed his eyes. “The fuck, brat? You chased me around just to ask questions? Nothing about wanting to stop me or something?”
Justine tilted her head. “Why would we worry about that? The Trickster will stop you either way. We have nothing to worry about.”
“Trickster? Who the hell are you talking about? Are you two crazy or something?”
Kotone furrowed her eyebrows. It really seemed like Jin hated everyone and everything, except for Takaya, back in the bunker. But right now, he’s interacting with the twins normally, outside of his cursing.
“...Why are you acting like this?” she asked. “I thought you hated us.”
Jin raised an eyebrow. “I do hate you? That said, unless you force my hand, I won’t do anything outside the Dark Hour.”
“Regarding the Dark Hour,” Justine interrupted, “why do you put so much emphasis on your power?”
“You must have something in your life,” Caroline added. “Something to look forward to.”
Jin growled.
Justine tilted her again. “I will take that as a no. If that’s the case, why go out at all? Why do all this if you don’t care?”
Jin scratched the back of his head with a grunt. “Why do you care? You don’t understand shit.”
Caroline hummed with a smirk. “Oh, I think this is called deflection, huh?”
“Wha-“
“Perhaps we hit a sore spot?” Justine said. “It matters not. Perhaps you truly don’t care about anything in the world. But, in the act of doing something not related to the Dark Hour, you became a hypocrite, yet it seems you don’t realize it?”
Jin growled again and began shaking. “Fuck off, you don’t understand shit! I didn’t ask to get these powers. And when I did, I lost everything I had. But, with this power, I can do things only I can do. I can’t live normally, so why would I care about having something outside the Dark Hour?”
“Have you tried making friends with the people in the arcade?” Kotone asked. “Something? Anything?”
Jin scoffed. “And why would I do that to normal people? They can’t use the Dark Hour, so should I give a shit about them?”
‘But that’s-‘
Caroline tilted her head. “Huh? What kind of reasoning is that? You only see worth in the Dark Hour, so you won’t make any connection outside it. However, because you don’t have any connection outside, you somehow convinced yourself you only have worth within the Dark Hour.”
That kind of life is nothing more than a downward spiral. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy of self-destruction.
Justine huffed. “Still, we thank you for your input. This was enlightening.”
Jin’s eyes widened in surprise. “The hell are you talking about? You get me?”
Justine nodded. “Indeed. I can see why you would fight to keep the Dark Hour active.”
“And, what now? You’re done asking?”
“Pretty much,” Caroline added.
“Then do you want to join-“
“That said, we find it wrong,” the twins said as one.
“A life without connections is not a life worth living,” Caroline said.
Justine continued, “It would be debatable to even call it life.”
“You would be nothing more than just a husk.”
“In that sense, that kind of life is nothing more than one with Apathy Syndrome.”
Jin grit his teeth, his hands gripping so hard Kotone was sure he would have drawn blood if not for his gloves.
“Whatever,” Jin huffed. “Not like you’ll ever understand the shit I went through. If you’re done asking your questions, then I’m leaving.”
The three girls stepped aside to let him pass, and he disappeared around the corner and into the back alleys of Paulownia Mall.
“... I still think we should have just stopped him,” Kotone muttered.
Caroline sighed. “Again, you will face him later. It is the fate of all Persona users.”
“As the Trickster says, ‘Take your time,’” Justine said with a satisfied smirk. “I do not doubt you will prevail against these enemies, Contractor.”
“You two sure have some strong faith in me,” Kotone said, putting her hands on her hips. “What gives?”
Justine and Caroline glanced at each other, a silent conversation going between the two of them.
“Well, when you go through what we’ve gone through...”
“Seen what we have seen...”
“Then you would do the same as us,” Caroline and Justine said in unison.
Caroline began making her way back to the mall, opening the exit door. “Now come, Contractor, we should start making our way back. I feel pretty accomplished today.”
“That’s good...” Kotone muttered.
“Do you think we could ask our Master to place an arcade machine in the Velvet Room?” Justine asked.
“If I come by, can I use it?” Kotone followed up with a grin.
Caroline grinned back. “If you help us convince our Master, I don’t see why not!”
“Then it’s a deal!”
-.-Take Your Time-.-
9/4 - Afternoon - Port Island Station - Junpei
Junpei saw Chidori once again in her usual spot at the station, still absorbed in whatever she was drawing.
“Yo Chidori. How’s your hand?”
Chidori didn’t say anything, so he took it as a sign it was okay to get closer. He offered his hand, and Chidori offered him her hand, allowing him to inspect the wound. But, instead of a wound...
“I don’t see anything? There’s no scar... Not even a mark?” Junpei muttered. “Maybe it wasn’t that bad...?”
She kept staring at him as he carefully examined the arm, as if the wound were just in a different spot.
“Say, Junpei.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you do to make yourself feel alive?”
“Uh, I dunno... Breathe, I guess?” He chuckled, releasing her arm. “Y’know, I can’t say I’ve ever thought about it. How ‘bout you, Chidori? Is that how you feel when you draw?”
She stared at her sketchbook. “I don’t know... Most of these are just scribbles. I don’t really... understand myself.”
“Oh, huh...” Junpei muttered. He couldn’t really follow up on that, can he? Maybe... “To tell ya the truth, there IS one thing that makes me feel alive... It’s when I sort of, uh... get to play the hero, I guess?” Maybe she’d laugh at a really out-of-this-world story. Maybe make her smile? “In the darkest hour,” -wow, a real original way to say Dark Hour. Hey, at least he has her attention- “unknown to all but a few, the chosen ones stand against the forces of evil! Our hero, Junpei, fights to protect the world from these terrifying monsters!” That’s enough, right?
He flashed her a smile. “Hehe... Well, you get the idea. That’s when I feel most alive!”
Chidori continued to stare at him, her face unchanging.
“Uh... This is the part where you’re s’posed to laugh.”
“So... Do you fight all alone...?”
“H-hey, I was just kiddin’ around...”
“You fight during a time that no one knows about, right?” Chidori kept her gaze on him as she continued. “So then, no one knows what you’ve been doing, either. That means you’ll never receive any recognition... I’m impressed. I didn’t know you’re that kind of guy.” Maybe he was just seeing things, but did the corner of her lips bend upwards just a bit?
Nah, couldn’t be.
“For real? You actually believe me?”
“Can you tell me more...” she said, her gaze still serious.
Did he- Did he actually get a fan?
“Y’know, you’re kinda the weird one here...” he muttered before he grinned. “I guess it’s okay, but you’re sworn to secrecy, got it?”
Chidori nodded, and she patted a spot next to her for him to sit.
“So, there’s this special power called a ‘Persona,’ and that’s what we use to defeat the monsters. That’s what I meant by the ‘chosen ones.’
“My friends are fighting too... And ever since I joined ‘em, we’ve been kicking some serious ass!”
“Sounds like fun,” Chidori said. That’s got to be another smile, right? “If you haven’t lost a single fight, that must mean you’re really strong.”
Junpei grinned sheepishly. “Y-Yeah, sorta... I’m not the leader, but I’m pretty much at the front lines. Everyone’s strong, but if they don’t have someone to protect them from the front, then they can’t really fight properly, you know? It’s a lot of work, taking the hits and making sure no one’s hurt.”
Yup, that smile is definitely much more noticeable now. “Thank you, Junpei. I had fun today.”
“Yeah, I could tell,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s time for me to go,” she said as she started to clean up her things. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
He gave her a thumbs up. “For sure! I can’t stay for long, but I can see you for a bit.”
Chidori gave him a small nod and made her way out of the station.
He giggled when he couldn’t see her anymore. He couldn’t help himself. “Tomorrow, huh? All right! I’m all fired up!”
-.-Take Your Time-.-
9/5 - Midnight - Outside of the Paulownia Mall
“Kotone, everyone’s ready to go!” Yukari yelled.
“Fuuka, what about the Shadow?”
“No changes in its behavior! It’s still controlling the underground cables, but the main body is in the Escapade control room.”
“Man, this is seriously giving me déjà vu...” Junpei muttered. “It’s just like the one with the monorail...”
“The Shadow controlled the monorail that time, right?” Ren said as he straightened his gloves.
“Yeah, we were seriously about to crash to another train, you know? You know what, though? That’s fine with me! I wanted a rematch anyway!”
“What’s gotten you all fired up?” Yukari asked with a raised eyebrow. “And you know it’s not the same Shadow...”
“Alright everyone, gather up!” Kotone yelled. “Standard tactics for now, keep your distance while we try to understand how to fight the Shadow. Is everyone ready?”
When everyone gave a resolute node, Kotone raised her naginata into the air. “Then let’s get ‘em!”