Chapter 6: Till Death Do Us Part

"Is dying that scary to you?"

"You seek him, do you not?"

She had been to this area plenty of times beforehand, but hardly a soul had wandered by or approached her. That was the case until now. Turning around, her gaze fell upon an unknown individual.

Not sensing hostility while also not dropping her guard, she merely responded with a nod.

"Then you and I share similar intents."

Curious, she thought to herself. She wasn't sure where this conversation was heading but continued to indulge the stranger.

Said stranger lightly smiled.

"If you would allow me, you may find what I have to say intriguing concerning our mutual friend."

Morning

Bright sunlight shined down onto Shirogane Naoto as she exited one of the many train stations in Tokyo and stopped herself from entering the commuting crowd. This wasn't her first time coming to the city, as she had been here on a few occasions before due to her line of work. She could tell the air was different this time, and not just because it was summer even though it was notably hot this year. Call it a detective's intuition.

"Fascinating," a voice said right next to her. "This is my first time visiting the capital of Japan. It is truly a sight to behold."

Naoto smiled. "It certainly is. I imagine it's quite a visual change from Iwatodai, Aigis-san."

Accompanying the pint-sized detective was a member of the Kirijo Group: Aigis. If she had a last name, Naoto wouldn't know as she only heard the blonde girl go by Aigis. She appeared to be of foreigner descent from what she could analyze, but her Japanese was stellar. Rather formal as well.

"Indeed. While both cities are modern, Tokyo appears to be a cut above the rest. I shall have to observe the other cities and wards for further analysis while we are stationed here," Aigis remarked.

Both Naoto and Aigis were sent to Tokyo by Mitsuru to pick up the trail Minato left behind if he did indeed come to the capital, with the latter acting as Naoto's partner for the case. Naoto didn't personally mind receiving help from the Kirijo Group, not to mention the funding they received including a hotel that would act as the pair's main base of operations until further notice.

The detective prince would have to ask Minato about his relations with the Kirijo Group later if she were to locate him. This all seemed a bit much for somebody who was supposed to be dead and went missing. Something was clearly fishy, but she didn't have enough information to create solid ideas other than Minato and Mitsuru having some sort of relationship, romantic or not. Aigis appeared to know their target too when they first met but wouldn't divulge anything further.

Just what was her cousin up to last year when he moved to Tatsumi Port Island?

"We should probably check into our hotel now that we've arrived, Aigis-san," Naoto said. "There is a lot of ground to cover once we begin our search."

"Agreed. I look forward to our partnership, Shirogane-san." Aigis nodded in response and extended her hand.

"Likewise." Naoto shook her hand with a smile. "By the way, aren't you... hot in that attire?"

Aigis looked downward, examining the black jacket and pants she was wearing. The red ribbon she wore before was now replaced by a red tie, making her look very professional.

"Ah, if you are worried that I will overheat due to the weather, then worry not! I shall be fine. I personally enjoy this style of clothing as well," Aigis reassured.

"Hm, I see," the detective noted. She can admit the blonde looked good in her outfit. "Well then, let's be off."

Minato's eyes fluttered open as he awoke. It seemed to be a new day with how much sunlight was peering in through his bedroom window. Yet another sunny day, eh? This year's summer was quite brutal. Might be just him, but it also felt like it was dragging on. Then again, so much stuff had occurred since April.

He tried getting up from his bed in order to stretch but found himself unable to for some reason. One of his arms felt heavy and warm. Perplexed, he adjusted his view.

"Oh. Right," he softly said, realizing what was going on.

What greeted him was a certain vampire ninja slumbering peacefully next to him in his bed. Her arms appeared to be the culprits as they were wrapped around the one arm he couldn't move.

As he closed his eyes to focus, he began to remember what occurred last night.

Flashback

Minato and Seraphim were on their way back to the Aikawa residence as they walked through Tokyo's suburban streets after leaving Naegleria Nebiros's home since their business was finished for the night. The evening was rather tranquil. A little too tranquil perhaps for the pair, however.

They've walked together in silence for a good portion of the trek back. Minato was a normally quiet person himself, but even he knew this was getting awkward. Having an accidental kiss with the vampire ninja would do that.

Seraphim didn't appear to be upset with him. He honestly thought he would've received a slap to the face or something similar after that kiss, knowing it wasn't his fault or hers, yet nothing of the sort happened. Naegleria falling onto Seraphim was something he wasn't sure if it was deliberate or not, given the underworlder's track record of clumsiness. Either way, it didn't matter because the kiss was something that couldn't be taken back.

Nothing seemed to be different for the blue-haired zombie's Social Link with the ninja also, which he supposed was a good sign. At the moment, though, he still couldn't tell what was on her mind. Having experiences from his previous Social Links gave him a faint idea about what to do and not do in social scenarios, so he chose to keep quiet until an opportunity presented itself.

The only thing he did notice was that Sera had been walking next to him fairly close, despite the quietness and not making eye contact. Sometimes it even looked as if she was attempting to hold his hand but kept hesitating.

It wasn't until they reached a nearby park when the silence was broken finally.

"May we... talk for a moment, Minato?" Seraphim spoke up. She pointed to a bench in the park that was next to an active lamp.

"Mm." With a nod, Minato followed her to sit down at the bench of her choosing. The two took in the nightly ambiance briefly, which helped them relax a tad. The zombie was beginning to have an odd feeling about this whole situation, like there was something he didn't understand yet. Sera's out of character behavior didn't help matters. He waited for her to make the first move.

Within a few moments, the swordswoman appeared calm and spoke.

"Please listen carefully," she said, resuming a serious face that he knew. "We vampire ninjas have our own set of rules to uphold that may differ from what you humans are used to, so allow me to get right to the point. Although you may not have kissed me of your own volition and vice versa, a kiss symbolizes a cherished bond among my people."

Sera took a deep breath before finishing her explanation.

"Therefore because of Naegleria's foolishness earlier, you and I... are married now."

There was a pause after that, one that felt like a long time to the duo. It would've been very quiet had it not been for the nocturnal insects' sounds that reverberated through the air.

Marriage, huh? That idea was something he actually didn't consider for himself. With how much of roller coaster ride his life had been, romance was one of the furthest things away from his conscious mind. Knowing the type of person Seraphim is, he realized she wasn't yanking his chain.

It was no surprise to Seraphim when she saw his face contort with confusion and shock.

"What?" He uttered. "But we didn't mean to kiss each other."

"The method of when or how it transpires does not matter for vampire ninjas," she clarified before sighing. "That damn harpy. She is beginning to be more of a headache than Ayumu, but I digress."

"You're just going to accept this?" Minato asked incredulously. Did he not have a say in the matter? "What about your own feelings? And mine?"

"Forgive me, but this has been the norm among vampire ninjas for centuries. I cannot ignore what I have known for all my life. Not even you can change this outcome, Minato," the vampire ninja countered sternly. "It is simply the way things are."

Minato was perplexed by how Sera was adapting to this but could tell she had her reservations. She was always one of those kinds of people who placed rules over their own feelings. Quite fitting for her as a Social Link of the Fortune Arcana when he thought about it.

For the Persona-user, he was still attempting to accept this sudden turn of events. Everything happened so fast for him. He needed time to process it all.

"Me as a husband... Are you okay with that, Sera?" He wondered. Setting aside his potential as a husband for now, he wanted to know more about Sera's personal opinions before he could think about what he personally wanted.

"There is nothing we can do now but accept the fact that we are husband and wife by my people's traditions, Minato." A light blush appeared on the ninja's cheeks as she averted her eyes somewhat. "However... I will admit that there is a sense of relief from you being my husband. It would be rather difficult to become intimate with anybody that I dislike had they have been in your stead. Since I am properly married to you now, I do not have to worry about a maggot entrapping me into an eternal pact."

"I thought you'd say something like that. I guess in a way that's good for you," Minato responded with a light laugh, slightly flattered from the roundabout compliment. "Anyway, thanks for telling me all this."

"You were more understanding about this than I gave you credit for, Minato," Sera noted. "Does this mean you've come to accept us as a married couple?"

And there was the big question and his decisive moment. Although he was caught off guard initially by the news, Minato was able to remain mostly calm. There was so much pressure that would make most men collapse into nervous wrecks.

What did he want?

It really did not seem ethical, but apparently vampire ninjas did not care about the issues it could cause.

The boy legitimately had not thought about the idea of him being married before, let alone getting hitched at his age. He couldn't wave this off either. There was literally no choice by vampire ninja standards, feelings be damned. It was super surreal, like something out of a cheesy romance anime. Yet it was real — his reality. Whatever happened to simply being a necromancer's servant?

He personally wasn't offended by having Seraphim for a wife. Seraphim had the makings of an ideal partner based on his preferences, from personality to appearances. At least she was someone he was familiar with, and not a person he met in a crash-into-hello fashion.

Based on their relationship before this kiss, he thought they could mesh well together. The blue-haired zombie never really contemplated love, especially during his SEES adventures.

Maybe over time, however, he could entertain the thought. He had the freedom and time to do whatever his heart desired.

As of right now, he couldn't readily see Seraphim in that light yet. He hadn't quite developed romantic feelings for her, though he did indeed like her as a person. Taking things one step at a time seemed like the best route.

If he thought of this like dating, then he could see it working out.

Yeah, he didn't mind the sound of that. He could at least do that much for her.

"I'd rather not rush into things like this," Minato admitted coolly. "But that's not to say I won't deny you being my wife. I also won't deny being your husband. I just need time to let this all sink in. I'm sure you feel the same way." He then smiled. "Who knows, I may end up actually falling in love with you someday."

Sera let herself smile. She could see what he meant; she wasn't wholly certain about her own feelings yet either. Her way of life had always been by the sword and vampire ninja customs, which placed duty above personal feelings. Becoming married through her people's standards meant falling in love with her significant other if the love wasn't fully there before. This meant making Minato fall for her while she would have to fall for him from now on. Thinking about her new lifestyle made her feel tired already. However, things could've been much worse so she felt some comfort from her current status.

Luckily for her, she had already grown fond of the Messiah prior to tonight's events.

"Duly noted. It seems we are on similar grounds then," Sera replied. "Not to worry, I promise to be the kind of woman you desire in the days to come."

Minato gave a friendly smirk in acknowledgement as he stood up from the bench they were sitting on and looked at Seraphim. The boy's head was directly in front of a nearly full moon that was out in the sky tonight. Seraphim couldn't help but notice how his appearance was complimented by the moonlight. From his azure hair to his eyes. Those golden eyes of his seemed... different somehow. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Shall we?" He asked her, outstretching his hand. Dismissing her earlier thought, she in turn grasped it as the pair then made their way home.

"Let's."

"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana..."

"By the way, have you ever thought about actually marrying someone until now?" Minato questioned his new wife while they walked.

"Truth be told, it was something that was typically not in the forefront of my mind. Regardless, there were never any potential mates whom I deemed worthy," Seraphim admitted.

The zombie felt his lips curling upwards in amusement.

"Do I meet your expectations?"

Sera found herself to be amused too.

"I've yet to be disappointed."

Flashback End

Minato sighed lightly before looking up at the ceiling and running his fingers through his blue hair.

"Guess that wasn't a dream at all."

He didn't take into account the possibility of him and Sera sharing a room now. Very bold of her to take that step already.

And thus today marked the start of a new kind of journey for this Wild Card.

Eucliwood let out a small yawn as she stretched her body, waking up from her slumber. Pondering to herself, she realized she had been having strange dreams lately. If she were more emotionally expressive on the outside, she might have frowned. But given recent events, she couldn't blame her psyche doing this to her as she dreamed.

Her talk with Ayumu last night got her thinking. She knew the world had diverged too much already from its supposed history. When blessed with powers like hers, it was simple.

While the necromancer possessed abilities that can alter reality as little or as much as she desired, even she would not dare to do it excessively. Despite her appearance to normal people, she had many mortal lifespans of experiences under her belt that molded her into the person she was today. She was aware to not tamper with the string of destiny out of convenience.

Her gut feeling told her that Minato was fated to die the way he did and for all intents and purposes should have remained as the Great Seal, shielding humanity from Erebus and Nyx making contact.

She didn't like the sound of that, obviously. Although she completely understood his intentions, she thought it was still too cruel for a teenage boy who hadn't even graduated high school to endure.

Was it selfish of her to tamper with his fate? Of course. She also believed it was selfish. The same held true for her resurrection of Ayumu. She felt frustrated with the cards the two boys were dealt.

She was adamant that she had made good choices, but what the new future held was out of reach even for somebody of her caliber. Ayumu being revived was a relatively simpler subject when compared to Minato, however.

There were some... particular circumstances concerning the Persona-user's revival that have yet to be divulged.

She remembered having an emotional meltdown last night while being comforted by Ayumu, showing the first signs of emotion to the boy or anybody for as long as she stayed in her new home. Once she calmed down, a wave of exhaustion enveloped her and the next thing she could recall was Ayumu assisting her to her bedroom via piggyback riding. The moment after was a quick trip to dream land.

For the first time in a while, the necromancer could actually say she had a good night's sleep.

She still slightly had her reservations about opening up to the others in fear of being a burden, but after receiving Ayumu's reassurance, she could take it slowly. Deep in her heart, she knew he was right.

With that newfound resolve in mind, she started today by resuming her daily routine, which meant meeting with everybody in the living room for breakfast and then she could go from there. She hoped she could work up the courage to be more open with everybody in the days to come.

After all, despite their clashing personalities, she considered her housemates to be her friends.

"WHAT THE HELL? YOU TWO ARE MARRIED NOW?!" Ayumu screeched as he slammed his hands down onto the coffee table. Haruna had just spit out her breakfast at the same time.

Eu was used to her friends' antics, especially in the morning, but this new revelation surprised even her.

Sitting at the table with the three of them were Minato and Seraphim, the latter having her arm wrapped around Minato's. The blue-haired boy was laughing nervously in addition to smiling awkwardly while the girl beside him displayed her typical look of resoluteness.

Minato sure wasn't ready for what today had to offer him to say the least.

Ayumu slapped himself in the face and shook his head to recover from his stupor.

"So let me get this straight," he began addressing the apparent couple. "You both plus a kiss equals tying the knot? In what world does that make sense?"

"This one, maggot," Sera bluntly replied. "Although it was not desired by us, a kiss signifies a sacred bond among vampire ninjas. And because Minato and I shared one last night, we are officially married."

Haruna scratched her head in confusion.

"I don't get it. I do get that's some vampire ninja law and stuff, but you guys said it was an accident. That still counts?"

"Mhm," Minato answered. "Apparently it doesn't matter when or how it happens, according to Sera. A kiss between two of the opposite sex means marriage for vampire ninjas."

Ayumu was utterly floored from the news. Because he knew what they were both like, that could only mean they were telling the truth.

"That's some law, holy crap. And you two are fine with that? This is marriage we're talking about here — a lifelong commitment."

Minato could understand where Ayumu was coming from. On top of coming back from the dead as a zombie, becoming a servant to a necromancer, making his way to Tokyo, meeting everyone here and discovering new existences he was bound to Seraphim by her people's rules. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder for him in his undead life.

"Well... it's not something we can really fight with. Trust me, I tried," the bluenette stated with a sigh. He asked Sera last night during their walk home if there were any ways to undo the marriage, but this specific law had been in place for as long as the latter can remember. Why exactly? Even she didn't know. That had been something vampire ninjas grew to accept.

"There is no way to separate a marriage involving vampire ninjas even if till death do us part," Seraphim added. "Like I've been saying, the journey that can occur leading up to kissing a vampire ninja doesn't matter. We place the law above our own feelings."

[That's been the vampire ninjas' way for a long time.] Eucliwood said to the group. She then started to write to Minato and Sera in particular. [Even though you both weren't anticipating it and now that it has happened, what now?]

Sera felt as if her piece had been said already but chose to elaborate more, "I've already pledged my love to Minato and to him alone. Whether or not he chooses to reciprocate will not change the fact that I am forever his wife. I shall stay by his side and perform my wifely duties to the best of my capabilities while balancing my vampire ninja ones as well. It is the fate I must accept from now on."

Ayumu was impressed by the ninja's resolve, in spite of her awkward situation. Eu nodded her head in agreement.

Minato rubbed the back of his neck. He then said, "I won't resist if Sera really wants this. Nothing is changing her mind. I mean, yeah I'm still trying to come to grips that I'm technically a married man now. I'm willing to give this a shot, though. Give it time, and who knows? We might turn out to be a pretty good couple."

He recalled bits of what Mitsuru mentioned in the past about her father's marriage with her mother, because his situation was reminding him of theirs. It was arranged, and the two didn't immediately fall in love with each other. But given Mitsuru's upbringing by Kirijo Takeharu and her mother, he assumed the marriage turned out well enough.

Officially, he and Sera were married. But he believed mutual love for each other is what makes a relationship, especially marriage, succeed. How long would that take? Only time would tell. And both him and Sera had lots of it.

"Wow, that's awfully mature, Senpai," Ayumu whistled in awe. "Then again, this is you we're talking about. I think that's the best course of action for now." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "You've got bigger guts than me. I don't even want to imagine what it'd be like if I were in your position, honestly."

"That's assuming a vampire ninja or any girl would even give you the satisfaction," Sera remarked with narrowed eyes. Ayumu could feel an imaginary giant arrow poking his chest from the insult as he keeled over.

[Congratulations on the marriage, Minato and Seraphim. ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ] Eu lauded. She even drew an emoticon on her notepad. While she didn't foresee this happening, she was admittedly happy for the pair and thought they could be a good match in time.

Haruna, who had been relatively quiet for the past few minutes, decided to chime in.

"Does this mean we'll see you two act all lovey-dovey and crap around the house?"

Ayumu facepalmed while the newlyweds sighed.

"Way to kill the mood, Haruna," Ayumu stated.

"Hey, I'm just saying! It was an honest question!" The brunette retorted. The two then started to go back and forth as they would normally do on a regular basis. Minato, Eucliwood, and Seraphim resumed eating their breakfast while they fought.

Some things never change.

Afternoon

"Report, Seraphim," a stern, feminine voice said.

High in the sky in an area of Tokyo were two individuals standing on top of telephone tower wires with ease. One was Seraphim, and the other was a girl that had long black hair and fierce red eyes whose backed was turned away from the former with her arms crossed.

"Lady Eucliwood Hellscythe has not changed her mind about the village elder. Also, Megalo appearances have remained to be relatively small, but the number steadily rises as time moves forward. I'm still not sure what could be the cause, Sarasvati," Seraphim stated.

"Interesting..." The girl whose name was Sarasvati pursed her lips, not turning around to make eye contact with Sera. She happened to be Seraphim's senpai in the vampire ninja clan they were both a part of. On occasion while Sera went about her duties, she would report back to Sarasvati for updates or new missions. "What could the sudden increase in numbers mean...?"

"Should I continue keeping myself within Lady Hellscythe and the Messiah's presence, Saras?" Sera calmly asked.

"Yes. I will summon you again if anything on my end or yours changes. If you have anything else to disclose, do so now. I have a concert to get ready for," Sarasvati bluntly declared.

Sera rolled her eyes. She didn't agree with how her senpai behaved among humans. For reasons she couldn't understand, the older vampire ninja was actively a part of human society by becoming a student and idol with the pseudonym Hoshikawa Kirara. She personally thought it conflicted with vampire ninja traditions, but she supposed her senpai was free to do whatever.

"There is one thing," Sera confirmed. Her cheeks flushed with a light shade of pink, but she then cleared her throat. She may as well get it over with. "I'm married now. To Arisato Minato."

...

A lone gust of wind echoed through the air, causing the two girls' hair to sway.

"...I beg your pardon?" The vampire ninja senpai whipped around with an arched eyebrow.

"I see. So that's what happened," said Minato as he leaned over Ayumu's balcony with his kouhai. He had just been filled in on Ayumu's side of the events that ensued last night while he was preoccupied with his own business. It irked him when he learned about the serial killer's active presence again, especially knowing that neither Ayumu or Kerberos could do anything against them even with their supernatural abilities.

Ayumu, for obvious reasons, didn't mention anything related to his conversation with Eu. She had to be the one to confess to the Persona-using zombie.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Ayumu asked.

"That we should stop the serial killer ASAP?" Minato answered the teen's question with another question.

"Exactly," Ayumu smirked. He looked downward and clenched his fist. "In order to do that, I need to be prepared to face them again. No way in hell am I going down three times in a row. I can't do this alone, Minato. I need your help."

"You already know my answer. I've got your back," the bluenette responded, turning his head towards Ayumu. "But don't be afraid to ask the girls too. We're all in this together, aren't we?"

"Heh thanks, Senpai. And I guess you're right. It's kinda hard to remember that sometimes, considering how they are," Ayumu snorted. It certainly was an interesting group dynamic they had.

Minato chuckled a little. "Quiet as she may be, Eucliwood means well. Seraphim and Haruna are rough around the edges, but they're good people. Although I probably shouldn't talk about Sera like that considering that she and I are married now."

"Right, that's certainly going to be not awkward," Ayumu joked. "So are you two going to be sharing the same room now or what?"

"Considering how I woke up to her sleeping next to me in my bed today, I'd say that's a guarantee," Minato admitted casually. It would take a bit to get used to that. "She already finished moving all of her stuff into my room."

"What the heck?" The surprise was evident by Ayumu's facial expression. "I know Sera is a pretty dedicated person, but damn she moves fast. Probably comes with the territory of being a vampire ninja."

"Mm, but that's what makes her, well, her," Minato stated. "Enough about me and her, though. There was something else you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah." Ayumu looked serious. Minato noticed how the teenager suddenly seemed tense. After a moment, his kouhai took a deep breath and stared directly at Minato. "Do you think I could have a Persona?"

Now that was something Minato didn't expect to hear at all.

"I... don't know. Back when I was in SEES, it was usually Mitsuru and Akihiko who learned about others having the potential. That was also when the Dark Hour was still active, which made it easier to tell who had it or not," Minato explained. He really didn't know too much about this topic. Ayumu didn't seem to remember anything related to the Dark Hour in the past year, otherwise he likely would've brought it up by now. If he did, Minato would be more confident in Ayumu having the potential.

"It can't hurt to give it a shot," Ayumu countered and shrugged his shoulders.

The younger zombie had a point. Minato doubted there would be any side effects should Ayumu actually shoot himself since no one from SEES mentioned anything of the sort. He took his Evoker out of his pocket and handed it to Ayumu without much hesitation.

Ayumu studied the gun in his hands. He knew it didn't contain any real bullets. It was simply a tool to help Persona-users unleash their Personas in his eyes. Besides, he was a zombie! He already died and withstood many other life-threatening attacks these last few months. What was the worse that could happen?

"Just gotta point it to my head like you do, right?" Ayumu asked for clarification, receiving a nod from his senpai. He then mimicked Minato's normal pose for when the bluenette would summon his Personas, placing the gun barrel at his head's temple and closing his eyes.

He took another deep breath. Once his finger touched the trigger, body nerves suddenly felt tight within him. His heart kept racing. Sweat began to form on his brow. His hand was trembling. Why was this so difficult for him? He was dead already. What was stopping him from firing?

Images of getting assaulted by the serial killer overwhelmed his mind. He could remember the fear he felt in his final moments and last night.

Seeing how apprehensive Ayumu became, Minato thought it was best to take back his Evoker gently. He removed it from Ayumu's hand slowly as the gray-haired teen started to calm down.

"Man, I'm such a wuss," Ayumu groaned, frustrated by his ineptitude.

"If it makes you feel better, Yukari had the same problem at first. And she knew she had the potential," Minato assured. It was normal for people to have that irrational fear of suicide when placed in scenarios such as this one. Even though Ayumu had a taste of death before and became a zombie, it appeared he was still hung up on the thought of dying. "We can try again another day."

Letting out a large sigh, Ayumu's mood seemed to perk up as he managed to smile. "I'll hold you to that, Senpai. Maybe if I hear more about you and your friends' experiences, I can pull the trigger."

"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Temperance Arcana..."

"We'll see." Minato patted Ayumu on the back.

"I still want to get better," Ayumu said, not satisfied with his current self. "If only there was something I can do that could help me while being true to myself."

Impressed by his determination, Minato decided to help him out. The Persona-user knew he wouldn't be always around Ayumu, so if he somehow wasn't available to take on a new threat, then he wanted his kouhai to handle things.

Minato was without a doubt powerful, but having to be relied on always wasn't exactly productive.

"For now, let's focus on what you can improve to fight better with your already existing arsenal. Choosing to use Mystletainn or not to become a Magical Garment Girl, learning new ways to fight Megalos or the serial killer can take you far."

Ayumu nodded his head in agreement. "What do you think I should try learning, Minato-senpai?"

The blue-haired zombie contemplated carefully. What could Ayumu do to make himself more efficient in battles?

There was boxing, but Minato wasn't an expert in that field. Akihiko taught him a little to hold his own in a fight. Minato didn't think that combat style would suit Ayumu, so he pondered more, reaching far into his memories of the younger teenager.

Strangely enough, memories of Ayumu breakdancing came to mind. Nah, that was silly. He was adept for sure, but there was no way to use that in...

Wait, it may just be crazy enough to work.

"Have you thought about using your breakdancing skills to fight?" Minato asked.

"Uhhh, what?" Ayumu couldn't help but be confused, raising an eyebrow. "I'm mostly confident in my skills, but how the hell do you fight with dancing?"

"About 5 years ago I heard in Kamurocho that a high-ranking yakuza who could breakdance while fighting was spotted in the area many times," Minato said, remembering when stories and rumors were abundant from the district that had seen its share of conflicts throughout the years since it was largely yakuza territory.

"Really? In Shinjuku?" Ayumu uttered, now in deep thought. "Come to think of it, I do remember hearing guys talking about something like that in school back then. This yakuza sweeped through punks with windmills and more. Would that really be efficient?"

"You're a zombie, so you have plenty of chances to find out. It can't hurt to give it a shot," Minato echoed his kouhai's words with a smile before leaving the balcony. Ayumu was left alone to ponder about his senpai's words.

"Maybe... just maybe..." The zombie closed his eyes as he tried to paint mental images of how a breakdancing style of fighting would work for him. Could he combine his dancing with his zombie abilities on top of being a Magical Garment Girl? After a few moments, revelations dawned upon him as his eyes then opened wide. "Holy shit! I got i— OWWW!"

Ayumu quickly rubbed his head, which somehow was in pain. It felt like something metal landed on top of him. He looked behind him and saw Haruna, who was holding Mystletainn. Connecting the dots, he concluded he was hit with the blunt side of the magical chainsaw.

"We got a Megalo skulking around, Ayumu! Let's go!" She exclaimed and left before the boy could say anything.

"Wait up! At least apologize for hitting me on the head, Haruna!" Ayumu yelled, chasing after the brunette.

Naoto and Aigis managed to check into their hotel, which was located in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo. They were stationed just within the Akihabara area. It was mainly known for its otaku presence of shops and buildings filled with video games, manga, anime, and more. The hotel was apparently a 5-star according to reviews Naoto found online and was a popular pick for visiting tourists. The room she was given was more luxurious than she expected, but she supposed all this was nothing compared to the Kirijo Group's funds. Aigis's room was right next to hers.

The reason Akihabara was chosen as a main base of operations was due to the strangely dressed girl that accompanied Minato in the saved video data. Naoto inferred that she might've been a cosplayer, and cosplayers were common in the area because of the immense otaku influence. If they stuck around long enough, they may discover her roaming the streets which could lead to their primary objective.

That being said, Naoto wasn't 100% confident that she would find Minato with ease. Tokyo was a very large part of Japan, and for all she knew he could've left by now. The amount of time between April and June wasn't anything to scoff at. Whether or not this needle in the haystack was here or somewhere else would be one of her greatest challenges yet. It would take hard work, intuition, and a bit of luck perhaps. And she was up to the task. The Kirijo Group wasn't giving up despite the overwhelming odds, and neither would she.

After she and Aigis were done settling in, they opted to comb the streets for any clues. Inquiries about the whereabouts of the mysterious silver-haired girl and Minato were made by them, and sometimes they showed passersby Minato's picture. Although, Naoto could do without troll answers or girls saying he was cute and not much else. They really didn't have much to go on, and they had been at it for a good 4 hours.

"I knew this wasn't going to be easy," Naoto sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She took a break from her efforts while finding comfort underneath a large tree's shade, still gripping onto a picture of Minato. This summer heat was proving to be another obstacle in her path.

"Do not lose hope, Shirogane-san," Aigis said, joining her in the shade. "We will find Minato in due time."

"I wouldn't be able to call myself a detective if I gave up on the first day of investigations," Naoto replied with a grin. "I do appreciate the gesture though, Aigis-san."

Aigis smiled. Looking at Naoto, she and Minato were strikingly similar in appearances. They shared the same hair and eye color. That was to be expected when learning of the relation between the two. The blonde girl couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.

Before Naoto was hired, Mitsuru of course had done her research on the detective prince. The nickname was deceptively masking Naoto's gender. She was a female that carried herself professionally in her line of work to the point where many did not know her actual gender. Over time, she had received the title based on her success in cases and her mannerisms.

It turned out that Minato's mother was a Shirogane before marrying his father. Minato and Naoto were cousins according to official documents. While Aigis and Mitsuru did not know how close the two were, what they did know was that Minato had lived with her and their grandfather before coming to Iwatodai last year.

Knowing this, the original members of SEES were hesitant about involving a relative in Minato's disappearance. However, they concluded Naoto getting involved anyway had they not reached out to her. Sightings of the detective within Iwatodai didn't help matters much either.

The group additionally decided to keep the situation relatively personal, so there was no major assistance from Kirijo Group agents and the like outside of funds and data. Aigis and Koromaru were the two SEES exceptions that could feasibly search for Minato because the rest had school. Junpei, Yukari, and Fuuka were in their final year of high school, Ken was still in grade school, and Mitsuru and Akihiko had just begun college. Although some protested, primarily Junpei and Akihiko, Mitsuru wished for them to prioritize their studies until there was a gap in their schedules that they could utilize to seek out Minato by themselves. Aigis volunteered to have a head start in investigating since the Japanese educational system wasn't a main priority to her, while Koromaru chose to stay behind in Tatsumi Port Island until everyone else could go. In the end, should Naoto have accepted the case, she would be paired with Aigis. The rest was history.

If and when the two do find Minato, Aigis was ordered to interrogate him about what he knew and to immediately get into contact with SEES. The rest was up to the android's discretion and how Minato reacted. Next month began the remaining SEES members' summer break, and they promised to travel to Akihabara to join the search.

Deep in her Papillon Heart, Aigis knew she would find her fellow Wild Card. It was only a matter of patience and time.

"Well, I think I've rested enough," Naoto stated. "Let's resume."

"Roger!" Aigis replied, as the duo made their way down the streets of Akihabara.

She then paused, looking back towards the way they came from. For a brief instance, she could've sworn she felt a strange reading. It was almost similar to a Shadow, but at the same time it wasn't. She had never sensed anything like this before.

Not sensing the odd reading anymore, she hesitantly returned to her business. Must have been her imagination.

"A bear, a crawfish, a chicken, and lo and behold: a crocodile," Ayumu deadpanned.

It took a couple minutes, but he managed to find the Megalo of the day with Haruna and Minato. Like all other Megalos, the crocodile was wearing a Japanese school uniform. It had long arms and appeared to be bipedal too. While it wasn't as large as the first two Megalo the gang encountered, it was still towering over them.

"Good thing we got here before this Megalo could enter the streets," Minato remarked, looking around him. They were located barely within the Akihabara district in a back alley. Around them were dirty, pale walls and a passage that led to the main streets. Had it gotten out, it would've been a nuisance to take care of it with so many eyes on them, not to mention the memory wipe process Ayumu would have to do in an area such as this. It was fortunate that Haruna could sense where Megalos were.

"Let's take this lizard down!" Haruna hollered, pointing at their target.

The scuffle then ensued after her battle cry as the crocodile leaped into the air. It clenched both of its fists together and came careening downward. The trio were able to dodge the crocodile in time. The impact it left when it landed caused shockwaves and cracks in the ground to form.

"Whoa, this thing's got some power to it!" Ayumu noted aloud. "Don't get hit by its arms! Take cover, Haruna!"

"I'm on it, don't tell me what to do!" Haruna jumped to the top of a building, still holding her chainsaw. She really wanted to fight, but she was still unable to become a proper Magical Garment Girl. Disliking her current state, she huffed. Either way, this Megalo wasn't a big deal. Ayumu and Minato could totally handle it. And although she couldn't access of all her abilities, she was able to use less powerful magic.

"Back me up, Senpai!" Ayumu requested. "Keep it distracted while I find an opening!"

"Got it," Minato said.

He swiftly aimed his Evoker to his head and called forth Siegfried while pulling the trigger. The dragon-slaying Persona unleashed a Tempest Slash that managed to land a hit on the Megalo, causing it to cry out in pain and get angrier. It began blowing out large bubbles of acid from its mouth in every direction.

"Ugh, this Megalo's got some nasty breath," Haruna remarked, cringing.

Forced to retreat a fair distance and unable to get closer due to the volume of bubbles, Minato had Siegfried use Vorpal Blade. A multitude of slashes appeared in the air, popping the bubbles the crocodile Megalo let loose.

'I can't get any closer,' Minato mentally said to himself. He thought about switching to a different Persona but decided not to. 'If I try to use any other kind of move or Persona, we might draw in attention or cause too much damage.'

As much as he hated to admit it, most Persona abilities and moves were too destructive. Fighting inside a populated city wasn't as simple as venturing through Tartarus or the Dark Hour where there weren't as many possible casualties.

Noticing that Minato was keeping the Megalo at bay, Haruna tossed Mystletainn to Ayumu after they locked eyes. She used her magic to temporarily bind the crocodile in place, gesturing her body as if she were hugging it. Ayumu promptly began to say the chant of a Magical Garment Girl, "Nomobuyo, Oshi, Hashitawa, Dokeda, Gunmīcha, Dē Ribura!"

Donning the frilly pink outfit he had a love-hate relationship with, Ayumu started gathering power as a pink aura surrounded him. It was a trick similar to charging up as a zombie, so he had no issue doing so. For a Megalo of this size and strength, he felt he didn't even need to go beyond 300%. Once he was done powering up, he dashed towards the Megalo from behind after spotting an opening Haruna made.

"It can't hurt to give it a shot." His senpai's words rang in his mind in the heat of the moment.

When he got close to the monster, he took a deep breath as his body relaxed. He may end up looking stupid with what he was about to do next, but he didn't care. It was time to see his breakdancing style in action.

"Yahoooo!" Ayumu started to literally dance around the Megalo with ease, assuming a breakdance pose and incorporating Mystletainn into his newfound style. Each time the Megalo would flail its arms at him, the teenager was able to dodge while dancing. He was very nimble and fast. The Megalo couldn't touch Ayumu at all.

'It's working!' Ayumu thought. 'Just gotta keep the momentum going!'

Using the windmill, he dealt many strong kicks to the crocodile's body as he spun around it simultaneously by continually rolling his torso. Performing windmills while moving nonstop was tricky for a normal person, but Ayumu was not normal. He had the prowess to back it up. The Megalo was taking too long to predict the Magical Garment Girl's swift movements, and it allowed Ayumu to whack the monster in the face with Mystletainn's blunt side as if it were a hammer.

The flurry of hits in addition to Ayumu spinning around it was enough to make the Megalo see stars. Seeing an opportunity to end this, Ayumu wound up a 300%-boosted punch and smashed his foe downward. The force of the punch caused the Megalo to bounce off the ground and into the air.

"And for the finale!" He yelled.

Performing a backwards flip, Ayumu launched a bombastic kick to the crocodile's torso. And by kick, it was actually a Mystletainn Kick. The pink chainsaw cleaved through the monster in half horizontally, which effectively ended its life. Ayumu touched the ground and struck a finishing pose as the Megalo disintegrated into motes of light behind him. It gave his performance an extra amount of flair to it.

'Nailed it!' Ayumu thought to himself proudly, letting himself grin from how successful the test run was. He would need more practice obviously, but he was confident he could utilize more breakdancing techniques while fighting. As long as his opponents were not too big or small, he could see this style of combat being handy from now on.

"Not bad, Ayumu," Minato complimented, having witnessed the whole thing. He had already dismissed Siegfried to the sea of his soul. "I didn't think you'd take my advice to heart so quickly."

Ayumu shook his head. "I think I needed a push in the right direction. Weird as it sounds, breakdancing is a good fit for me in more ways than one. I like dancing. Makes me feel unique. And if it can help me protect people, then that's just an added bonus. So thanks for the suggestion earlier, Senpai."

"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Temperance Arcana..."

"Gotta admit, Ayumu, that was pretty sweet," Haruna congratulated, approaching the two boys with her hands casually behind her head. "Although, I'm sure I can be just as cool if I could become a Magical Garment Girl again."

"If you need a dance instructor, just say so," Ayumu casually offered. He transformed into his normal clothes and gave Haruna her signature weapon back.

"Don't get too cocky. Once I'm at full power again, just you wait!" Haruna promised. "Now let's head back! My belly needs food!"

The three laughed and then went on their way with their task accomplished. Haruna asked Ayumu about how he was able to pull off all his moves as they walked with Minato behind them. The blue-haired zombie realized he hadn't seen Sera for a few hours, so he thought he should check if she came back home yet.

Nighttime

They returned to the Aikawa residence just after the sun had set. Their usual dinner time was soon, so Ayumu went to the kitchen to get a start on making everybody food. It was his turn to cook tonight anyway. Haruna said that she wanted to relax in her room before then, so they let her do that. Eucliwood was in her typical spot in the living room, watching TV and sipping tea.

The only person left unaccounted for was Seraphim. If she wasn't with Eucliwood, then that meant she was still out of the house or in her room. Or rather, her and Minato's room. It was convenient that the room had enough space for two people, and Minato didn't have too many possessions to begin with so Sera used the extra space for her belongings. The blue-haired boy thought it wouldn't hurt to see if she was inside their room and walked in.

Sure enough, he found the vampire ninja in their room sitting in front of their bed. Yet for some reason, she looked rather weak. Her face was red and her head was swaying like she was dizzy.

"M... Minato..." Sera mumbled.

"Are you okay, Sera?" Raising an eyebrow, he approached the ninja.

"I need blood..." She said.

"Excuse me?" He placed his hand on her forehead to see if she had a fever. She sounded delirious.

"We vampire ninjas have to drink blood periodically or we'll die..." Sera admitted. "It keeps us strong and healthy."

"Ah, gotcha," Minato agreed and nodded. How could he forget? After all, it was in the name. "Can it be anybody's blood? If so, why not drink mine?"

Sera hesitated. "I wouldn't want to impose. I could just ask for Haruna's..."

"I'm already here. I can't just leave you hanging," Minato countered. His mind was already made up as he sat beside her. "Just do what you have to do."

She sighed. She should've expected that response.

"Very well. I'll take your blood. It will be over in a moment..." The vampire ninja assured and placed both of her hands on his face. She then leaned in and proceeded to kiss him.

Minato wasn't sure if this had anything to do with the process of vampire ninjas getting blood, but he said nothing and let her continue. He could confirm that she was a good kisser at least.

She stopped locking lips with him a few short moments later. For some reason, he began to feel like he had taken some medicine that made him feel loopy. His face felt hot, and he wasn't sure if it was because of him getting excited in the heat of the moment or whatever was happening to his body.

Sera's eyes assumed the color of red as she eyed Minato's neck. Slowly, she bit into it. Minato's eyes widened slightly. He was startled by how deep her teeth sank in as he let out a small grunt, yet it also didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. Sera persisted to drink his blood until she was satisfied.

The zombie rubbed the area of his neck where he got bitten. That was certainly something. He could now mark getting his blood sucked by a vampire off a hypothetical to-do list of supernatural events after dying.

"Not that I'm complaining, but was the kissing a part of the procedure?" Minato wondered.

"A kiss from vampire ninjas can be utilized as an anesthetic," Sera explained. "It dulls pain, which is useful for when we need to drink blood."

Minato nodded. "Makes sense. I can see why you were considering Haruna. Vampire ninja laws don't apply if you're going to anesthetize someone of the same gender."

"That's right. Before meeting you, I would obtain blood from other females. I could just not anesthetize anyone and go for their necks only, however it is strictly against vampire ninja morals to do so," Sera elaborated. Blushing, she then asked, "If I require blood in the future... would you mind doing this again with me?"

"Nope. Since we're married now, you can kiss me as much as you want when you need blood," Minato replied with a faint smile.

Seraphim was taken aback by how smoothly he delivered that line. It sounded so natural coming from him. She briefly felt her heartbeats speed up.

Regaining her composure, she offered her gratitude to him with a "Thank you" and gentle smile.

"Nomobuyo, Oshi, Hashitawa, Dokeda, Gunmīcha, Dē Ribura!" Haruna chanted. She was having another crack at transforming into a Magical Garment Girl with Mystletainn in her room.

Yet again, she was able to wear her outfit and it barely lasted more than 5 seconds before she was left with no clothes on. She looked at her trusty chainsaw sadly and sighed. This was frustrating her. She was able to use other magics here and there, but she still couldn't become a complete Magical Garment Girl.

A knock came from her door, which made her yelp as she frantically looked towards the entrance to her room.

"Haruna, you in there?" She heard Minato's voice through her door.

"Don't come in, Blue! I'm, uh, not here right now!" The brunette mentally berated herself after saying that. There was no way Minato was going to fall for that.

From the other side of her door, the blue-haired boy was understandably puzzled.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

What he got in return was silence. Maybe she was in the middle of doing something? Whatever it was, he knew better than to enter a girl's room without her permission. So he chose to leave her be.

"Ayumu is almost done with dinner. Just wanted to let you know," Minato informed his housemate. He turned around and was about to head downstairs but was stopped when he heard a door creak open.

"Hey... Minato?" Haruna asked, looking dejected and dressed. He noticed she wasn't using his nickname for once. She motioned for him to come into her room and he did just that. Mystletainn was placed by her closet. The two then sat on the brunette's bed next to each other. He waited for her to speak up about what was on her mind.

"I still can't become a Magical Garment Girl. Without my powers, I can't go back to Villiers or even fight Megalos. And without them, what am I good for?"

Minato was able to quickly figure out what was going on and tried reassure her. "You'll be back to your old self in no time."

"There's more," Haruna interjected. "When I'm not a Magical Garment Girl, I become so scared from sensing a Megalo's strength. I feel so helpless. I hate that feeling. Why is this happening to me?"

Not able to hold back her emotions any longer, she buried herself in Minato's chest and started to cry.

"I'm so embarrassed... I'm so weak! So stupid! A failure!" She wailed.

Minato patted her head as she released her pent-up feelings. He sympathized with the young girl. This reminded him of instances from the past, when his friends experienced that same feeling of powerlessness throughout 2009. Even he had been in that position.

He didn't have the answer as to why she currently couldn't turn into a Magical Garment Girl, but if his background taught him anything it was that anything can change.

"Me and my friends from SEES had our share of times when we felt like we were powerless to prevent bad things from happening," Minato spoke gently. "But it was after we opened our hearts that made us closer and stronger. Despite the obstacles in our path, we ended up saving the world. We made the impossible possible. You too will become stronger after this, Haruna. Don't give up."

The bluenette tried his best to console Haruna. Speaking from the heart as of late typically resulted in good outcomes, he believed. He had sort of gotten used to it. It was a nice feeling.

His words seemed to have helped as Haruna's breathing stabilized and her sniffles were winding down.

"Thou shalt have our blessing twice more when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana..."

Dinner was over before Ayumu knew it. Gaia gifted him another peaceful intermission that he didn't know he needed. He had to admit, things had been getting crazier lately. His second encounter with the Tokyo serial killer, him killing a Megalo by breakdancing, getting Eucliwood to open up, and Minato and Seraphim becoming a married couple stuck out to him the most.

It never ceased to amaze him just how chaotic, yet refreshing his life had become.

All three girls went to take a bath with each other. Girl stuff, basically. That just left Ayumu and Minato, both of whom decided to clean the dishes. They didn't mind the labor, as it was a relaxing chore for them.

It was kind of hard, though, to not eavesdrop on the girls having fun together in the bathroom since they were being loud.

Normally Ayumu would have perverse thoughts in times like this, but he remembered that one of the girls in this house was Minato's wife. Even he was aware of where to draw the line. That being said, he still thought about Eu in moe scenarios. She was just so cute.

"Could you hand me the dish soap, Senpai? My sponge is almost out of suds," Ayumu asked.

"Mm, I'm just about finished on my end." Minato handed over the soap. With his portion of dishes all squeaky clean, he took a moment to stretch his body. It was immediately after that when the two heard Ayumu's cell phone ringing in the living room.

"Now who could be calling me this late?" Ayumu wondered. "Sorry, Minato, but can you answer that for me?"

Giving his kouhai a thumbs-up, the Persona-user went over and picked up Ayumu's phone. He quickly noticed that there was no caller ID.

"It's a withheld number," Minato told Ayumu.

"Put it on speaker," Ayumu said, drying his hands once he finished his dishes. He was curious about who this caller was. The older boy nodded and hit the speaker option on the phone then returned it to Ayumu. "Hello?"

"How odd, you don't sound anything like Haruna," a feminine voice said on the other line.

Minato interjected, "Haruna? Are you the head teacher at Villiers?"

"Indeed I am, second stranger," the voice confirmed. "May I ask who I am speaking to?"

"Arisato Minato," Minato introduced himself.

"And I'm Aikawa Ayumu. I'm also the guy who took Haruna's place as a Magical Garment Girl," said Ayumu.

"This is strange," the head teacher of Villiers sounded bemused. "You're not a girl, are you, Ayumu?"

"I've come to accept that it's best just to go along with it, no matter how ridiculous the premise may sound," the gray-haired zombie sighed.

"Did you want to talk to Haruna? She's kind of busy right now," Minato mentioned. "We can give her a message for you."

"Um... yes, that would work splendidly," Haruna's teacher said. "Please tell her I don't need the Kyotofu anymore."

"Kyotofu?" Ayumu looked at Minato to see if he knew what she was talking about but was met with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Yup. I sent Haruna on an errand to fetch me it. Considering how long it's been since she left Villiers, she must've not had any luck locating it. But that's alright, I've decided to give up on the Kyotofu," the head teacher elaborated.

"Didn't Haruna say she wanted to pick something up yesterday for the head teacher?" Minato asked out loud.

"Ohhh, now I get it," Ayumu facepalmed, putting the pieces together. "Toejam, my ass. Of all the things she mixed it up with, it was tofu."

"I simply love the tofu from Kyoto!" The head teacher said joyfully. "It's the best I've ever tasted!"

"That reminds me, I did try Kyoto tofu before. It's pretty good," Minato added, remembering his school trip to Kyoto last November where he had the chance to eat the local delicacy.

"Isn't it?!" She gushed.

"Huh. Small world," Ayumu noted. "Anyway, head teacher, I might be able to get some Kyotofu for you."

"Really? Aw, thank you so much!"

"It's no problem. I know a few people who can help with that. But why is Haruna here in Tokyo if she had to get tofu from Kyoto?" Ayumu couldn't help but ask. Minato thought it was odd too.

"Wait, are you saying that you two aren't in Kyoto?" The head teacher was surprised to hear that. "That's a shame. I thought I specifically told her to go to Kyoto for the tofu."

"Sounds like tofu wasn't the only thing she mixed up," Minato lightly laughed, making Ayumu snicker with him.

"You can't get Kyotofu in Tokyo, because tofu in Tokyo would be Totofu," Ayumu added.

"Hehe, I suppose so," the female instructor giggled as well.

"I have a suggestion. If you can connect to Ayumu's phone, then you could call a delivery service and order your tofu from there," Minato advised.

"That's an excellent idea! But unfortunately I don't believe I can do that because I already maxed out my credit card buying Kyoto tofu before. Oopsie," the head teacher admitted casually.

Ayumu sweatdropped. Not what he expected from the person in charge of teaching Magical Garment Girls quite frankly.

"In that case, how about I give you the tofu in person?" Ayumu offered. "I can have it ready for you by tomorrow."

"Truly? Wonderful! Let's see... I can pick it up around 9 PM tomorrow in your time then," she stated. "Thank you for being so sweet. And for taking good care of Haruna. She's always had trouble remembering people and things."

"Oh?" Ayumu found himself curious to know more about the brunette.

"When it comes to magic, she certainly is a genius. However, her biggest flaw is being a little self-centered, if you two know what I mean. She doesn't put a lot of effort into memorizing," she explained.

That pretty much summed up Haruna in a nutshell. She definitely had quite the ego.

"Ah! Actually, something unexpected did happen recently," the head teacher claimed. "It took me greatly by surprise, but she remembered the names of two people!"

Minato placed a hand on his hip and thought to himself. She said two people. He wondered if she meant—

"Yo, Minato! Ayumu!" Suddenly, Haruna entered the living room, wearing only a bath towel wrapped around her torso. "Hang up the phone and break out the ice cream!"

"What the— Haruna! You gotta stop doing that! Put on some clothes already! Your head teacher is on the phone right now!" Ayumu shouted at the brunette. Since his cell phone was still in speaker mode, Haruna's head teacher was able to overhear.

"Oh, uhhh, I'm busy!" Haruna stammered, unable to come up with a good excuse.

"She can hear you, you know," Minato stated dryly.

"Crap," muttered Ayumu as he turned off the speaker mode.

"Traitor! Don't sell me out, Blue!" The brunette pointed at him as she yelled. "Just tell her I'm not available right now!"

Seraphim then entered the room with Eucliwood. They both just finished drying off from their bath and were in their night clothes.

"What's all the commotion about?" The swordswoman asked.

"Well you see..." Minato began bringing his wife and Eu up to speed.

While he was busy talking to the two girls and Haruna ran to the kitchen for ice cream, Ayumu was left alone to talk to the head teacher.

"Er, sorry about that," he apologized. "You still there, head teacher?"

"I sure am," the instructor replied.

"Good. I've picked out the meeting place for tomorrow."

"I understand. Then that's where we'll meet. I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Aikawa."

That was positively an eventful phone call. Despite communicating from another world, the head teacher could tell over the phone that her student seemed content with where she was now. Perhaps it was a good thing Haruna found herself in Tokyo instead of Kyoto.

She smiled warmly.

"Those two boys possess a very unique kind of magic, do they not, Ariel?" An entity approached the instructor.

The head teacher's real name was Ariel. She sported white hair with pigtails and had golden eyes. She looked the part of a teacher also as she dressed up like one.

"Very unique indeed," Ariel affirmed. "Although I shouldn't be too shocked, considering one of them is the Messiah. Now be a dear and share one of your pudding cups with me, Elizabeth."

Clad in Velvet Room attire from her previous occupation, Elizabeth gave the head teacher what she asked for as they both ate together.

"They are delectable, aren't they? Truly worth purchasing every single one I could find on Earth."

The Next Day

Nighttime

Ayumu hummed to himself as he waited patiently for Haruna's head teacher. He ended up selecting the graveyard where he first met the brunette for the meeting spot. Yes, he can admit it was a peculiar choice. He just didn't want to risk the Villiers instructor to fall from the sky like her student did should that be her entrance, so he opted for a secluded area.

Not only that, but he personally enjoyed the ambiance in this graveyard whenever he visited.

The Kyoto tofu he promised was with him in a plastic bag. He picked it up prior to coming here.

"I'll never understand those girls. Thank God I'm not the only guy in that home or I might have gone nuts," Ayumu mused to himself. He was referring to earlier in the evening when he was about to head out after finishing dinner with his housemates. Getting and giving tofu was a simple enough errand, so he thought he would just go alone.

Eucliwood didn't seem to want to let Ayumu go outside tonight, though. But he assured his master that he would come straight home after delivering the tofu. He chalked it up to the serial killer still on the prowl.

He did ask Haruna if she wanted to tag along since he was meeting her teacher. What he got was a no from the short girl, so he assumed she would stay home. Then he discovered that she had been tailing him sometime after he left the house and called her out on it, which netted him more rejections of his claims and name-calling before she scurried off to the convenience store.

'She's a stubborn one all right,' he noted with a smile.

He surveyed around him to see if the head teacher had arrived yet. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted somebody standing behind a large sign.

'Must be her. I suppose only zombies and Magical Garment Girls would meet in graveyards this late,' Ayumu mused as he got up and walked towards the individual. Once got closer, he noticed this person was female, having twintails and appearing youthful. She looked older than Haruna too. "Is that you, head teacher? I got the Kyotofu you asked..."

Ayumu trailed off after reaching the other side of the sign.

Nobody was there.

"...for."

In the blink of an eye, a loud noise suddenly came from behind the teenager. It sounded like metal bouncing off a wall just as durable.

Whipping around, Ayumu dropped his tofu and quickly noticed the same girl that he believed he saw a second ago. For some reason, there was a barrier of sorts between her and Ayumu. She was blown backwards by a few feet, probably thanks to this unknown barrier.

What immediately drew Ayumu's attention was what the girl was holding with her hands. There was a sheathe in one hand. And in the other was a sword, but not just any normal one.

He recognized that blade anywhere. It was the very same one that he was impaled by in the past twice.

"Grr, what the hell is this?!" The girl angrily shouted. "Who's the jackass that decided to cast a barrier?!"

She was blonde and her eyes were yellow. Her clothes were like Haruna's Magical Garment Girl outfit. The main difference was that it was a red and white version of it. It had none of the bright colors which Ayumu was used to seeing.

He never thought he would meet an evil magical girl.

"You... Now I get it. You're the damn serial killer that killed me!" Ayumu seethed.

"Hmph. The pleasure is all mine, Aikawa Ayumu," she taunted with smugness laced in her tone. "You may call me Kyoko. Although, it won't matter if you know my name or not after I finally erase you off the face of this world."

A rush of emotions and adrenaline welled within Ayumu. If it weren't for his previous encounters with this girl, he might've blindly charged in. She was bad news. After getting a read on the situation and assessing that she was a Magical Garment Girl, he prepared himself for an unavoidable battle.

"We'll see about that!" Ayumu challenged.

"It's time for you to meet your demise!" Kyoko rushed forward and relentlessly unleashed a barrage of rapid slashes with her sword and sheathe. Ayumu was able to elude her attacks, bending and twisting his body in ways he thought weren't possible for him. But moving around in this graveyard without tripping was proving to be problematic for him. The blonde Magical Garment Girl then landed a kick to Ayumu so strong it knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying a couple of feet away.

Panting, Ayumu stood up as fast as he could. His eyes shot upwards as he saw Kyoko lunging at him.

"I've killed you twice already, so why don't you just give up and die!" She continued her assault with another set of slashes. Ayumu dodged as much as he possibly could, but even he was aware he couldn't keep this up forever. "Your existence is a plague that will ruin everything I've worked so hard to accomplish!"

"Shit, she's real good," Ayumu growled. Kyoko charged up a ball of energy, and the gray-haired zombie saw an opportunity to make a mad dash, making her attack miss its target.

"Until you showed up, I was gathering souls so smoothly!" She shrilled as she hopped among gravestones while giving chase. "That dog Megalo didn't make things easier for me either!"

The boy stopped in his tracks once he heard that and gritted his teeth. "You killed Kerberos too?! You fucking bitch!"

"Hahaha! See if you can dodge this, Ayumu!" Kyoko guffawed and charged up another energy ball, taking advantage of Ayumu's temper.

Realizing his mistake, Ayumu tried to make a run for it again but was surrounded by lanes of gravestones on his left and right sides. Just when Kyoko's energy ball was about to make contact with the zombie, a barrier appeared once more around him and reflected the oncoming attack.

"Not again!" She exclaimed in irritation, followed by being caught off guard and getting hit with her own attack.

"The hell?" Ayumu muttered. A barrier again? He examined Kyoko, and it appeared that she was struggling to move. It seemed like her energy balls can cease body movements, which would explain Ayumu's lack of in the past when he was stabbed twice by the Magical Garment Girl.

He would soon be surprised from hearing another voice near him.

"Hey, Ayumu! Did you deliver the toejam to the head teacher or what?"

"Forget about the tofu, Haruna!" Ayumu proclaimed, immediately realizing whose voice that belonged to. Honestly though, he was very glad she came now.

The next moment, a breeze brought forth a large number of leaves. That could only mean one thing to Ayumu.

"Pervert. Did you prey upon this young girl and not think she would retaliate? Absolutely disgusting."

'I don't even care if I just got called that. I'm so glad to see you, Sera!' Ayumu cheered mentally. The vampire ninja that he knew appeared and was holding Mystletainn.

Not long after that, Ayumu then saw a familiar mop of blue hair from a different direction.

"Yo. Are we late to the party, Ayumu?"

"Heh. Just in time, Minato-senpai," he snorted but then raised an eyebrow. "But why are you all here?"

"You have Lady Hellscythe to thank," Seraphim explained, giving Mystletainn to Ayumu. "She had a feeling extra assistance was mandatory in the event you were in over your head."

"Eu also asked me to cast two barriers on you with my Personas before you left the house," Minato chimed in, referring to the Persona skills Tetrakarn and Makarakarn. "One for physical attacks, and another for magical ones."

"Wow, talk about handy," Ayumu responded with widened eyes. "Those barriers saved my ass."

"So you're the asshole that set them up," Kyoko cursed. She was free from the effects of her magic and held her weapons at her side.

"Our enemy isn't human, is she?" Sera asked.

Ayumu shook his head. "No. She's a Magical Garment Girl that's a monster in human clothing."

"Oh, is that a fact? Then how very unfortunate for her," the ninja stated.

"We can end this finally," Minato said. He felt his chest tighten for some reason after his gaze focused on Kyoko, but shrugged it off as adrenaline from confronting the serial killer at long last.

"Time to kick her ass!" Haruna announced.

Kyoko smirked upon seeing the brunette. "It's been a while, Haruna. Have you finally become a decent Magical Garment Girl, considering you were held back for a year?"

"I don't know you, skank!" The short girl replied genuinely. Ayumu and Minato believed that she most likely forgot about Kyoko after recalling what the head teacher said last night.

"Tch. Still unbearable and a pain in the ass, I see," Kyoko spat out in disgust.

Another gust of leaves arrived and formed Sera's signature weapon.

"Enough talk. I can't stand vile lowlifes who murder innocent people," she stated coldly. Her green eyes altered to red, showing she was ready to fight with everyone.

"Heh, those eyes... We're not so different, you and I," Kyoko said, which confused the group because she didn't have red eyes. A moment after, her eyes did indeed become red and she even donned a cloak reminiscent of the one Sera wore a while back.

"Is she like you, Sera?" Minato asked.

The vampire ninja shook her head. "She is no vampire ninja, yet I do detect another power in her."

"Wow, four against one, huh? Not really fair if you ask me," Kyoko remarked with an amused grin.

"Oh, shut up! You stabbed me in the back! Twice!" Ayumu countered, raising two of his fingers for further emphasis.

Followed by that outburst, Seraphim hastily went on the offensive.

"Swallow Return Strike!" Shouting her favorite phrase, the vampire ninja let loose a red crescent energy blast. The twisted Magical Garment Girl merely stood in her current position and raised her sword in front of her. Sera's attack bounced off Kyoko's weapon like it was nothing.

"Please. Tell me that's not all you can muster," Kyoko mocked. Pointing her sword at Sera, she charged a fireball and fired it. "Since you showed me yours, let me show you mine!"

"Sera!"

Sera would've been blown back by the attack had it not been for Minato jumping in front of her and taking the blast head-on.

"Minato!" She exclaimed.

The smoke cleared and revealed that the blue-haired teenager didn't have so much as a scratch on him.

"It's okay," he assured with a thumbs-up.

Kyoko clicked her tongue.

"What are you?" Her magic didn't even faze this guy. He was capable of setting up barriers that reflected her attacks and could nullify them by not doing anything? She could feel a vein popping in her head.

"Just a teenager," Minato stated matter-of-factly.

"A fool, huh? Fine. Fire isn't all I have, you know." She conjured up wind that immediately enveloped the area as mist. The gang braced themselves, yet they didn't feel hurt.

Haruna, however, felt weak in her knees and slumped to the ground.

"What's wrong?!" Ayumu asked her.

"My magic is gone! Sheesh, this sucks," Haruna complained. "What's up with this chick? Her power is as intense as a Megalo's!"

"That certainly didn't help much, but at least one player is out of the game now," Kyoko said snidely. She then noticed Minato reaching in his pocket and pulling out a gun. A weapon such as that was fruitless against her, so she wondered what he was planning. It slightly shocked her when she saw him aim at his head. "Oh? Are you going to commit suicide after witnessing my power? Go ahead! It will make for an entertaining diversion before I slaughter your friends."

"You want death?" Minato asked, annoyed. "I'll show you Death."

Kyoko wasn't normally somebody who was afraid. She was too proud of herself. Her terrorizing Tokyo and swiping souls for so long boosted her clout. She let herself watch Minato in morbid fascination, awaiting blood to spill.

But seeing a large entity with dark clothing and a skull-like helmet that wielded a blade almost its size suddenly showing up behind the blue-haired boy with a cloak of coffins took her by surprise for sure. Not to mention the male in question wasn't dead at all. There was no blood after he pulled the trigger. Only two pairs of gazes staring back at her.

"What the fu—"

"Go." One word, and Thanatos charged towards Kyoko with speed that nearly caught her off guard. Had she have been a second too late, she might've been stabbed herself. She had to use both her sword and sheathe to block its attack, as she could feel the force it was exerting. Knowing she couldn't hold it back anymore, she jumped into the air and Thanatos followed suit. The sound of swords clashing multiple times echoed through the night. Thanatos definitely had the advantage in raw power, but because Kyoko was in the air she had more freedom to move around and not get pinned down.

'Who the hell is this freak?!' Kyoko exclaimed inwardly, trying to fend off the Greek god of death.

Ayumu couldn't help but observe how Minato's Persona was pushing her back. At this rate they may just win this.

"Stop daydreaming, Ayumu!" Seraphim's voice snapped him out of his reverie. "Don't you think it's time to transform? With your abilities, we can tip the scales in our favor."

"Goddamn it. I was hoping to not do that," Ayumu grunted. He hated that she was right.

"I won't allow my husband to fight alone!" She shouted at him. "Now go!"

Wielding Mystletainn, Ayumu steeled himself. "When it came time to avenge my own death, I wanted to avoid dressing up like a girl. But it looks like I have no other options! Nomobuyo, Oshi, Hashitawa, Dokeda, Gunmīcha, Dē Ribura!"

Once more, the zombie was clothed as a Magical Garment Girl after saying the magic words.

Sera had to force herself to choke back her disgust.

"A part of my soul dies every time I see you dressed like that."

"Totally looking like a pervert," Haruna added with an uncomfortable look.

"Guys, for real?!" Ayumu was exasperated. He really disliked doing this. "Oh to hell with it. Let's do this already!"

Ayumu and Sera dashed forward and past Minato before they split up, taking different sides to surround Kyoko. She was still having her hands full with Thanatos. Noticing the formation, Minato had his Persona push the evil Magical Garment Girl downward.

Seeing his chance, Ayumu lunged at Kyoko. The latter was forced to utilize her sheathe to defend herself from being sawed by Mystletainn while keeping Thanatos barely at bay with her sword. Her sheathe was more durable than he thought, but that didn't stop him as sparks flew from their clashing.

"Ugh. You're so nauseating to look at, you zombie piece of shit," Kyoko insulted with narrowed eyes.

"I don't give a damn," Ayumu sternly answered. "Answer me, why did you decide to kill all those people?"

She smirked. "If you learned that you could achieve immortality by killing others, you'd do the same, wouldn't you?"

"Like hell I would! I'm not a psychopath like you!" He screamed angrily as he started glowing pink.

"He's getting cuter!" Haruna exclaimed.

Every time a Magical Garment Girl's power increased, their clothes become frillier and more adorned. It looked ridiculous, but Ayumu could care less. Flowers began sprouting all over his body.

He was going further beyond his normal limits with over 500% power.

"Haaaaaaaaa!" Ayumu yelled, applying more force to his assault. The sudden surge in strength was enough to disarm Kyoko of her sheathe as it got knocked aside. With her partially exposed, the boy then used a full nelson, which meant grappling her from behind with both of his arms.

"Let go of me, pervert!" Kyoko shrieked, unable to use her sword to ward him off.

"Not a chance!" Ayumu said. "NOW!"

From the other side of the graveyard, Sera flew towards the unprotected blonde, readying her leaf blade. At the same time, Thanatos readied its sword as well.

"Swallow Return Strike!"

"Do it, Thanatos!" Minato ordered.

The next thing Kyoko knew, she was stabbed in two different parts of her body as Thanatos and Sera's weapons went through her and Ayumu. Fortunately for Ayumu, he was a zombie that could take the injuries and regenerate. Her piercing red eyes faded back to their normal yellow which then lost their light.

She was dead.

"Overkill, but I'm not complaining," Ayumu remarked with a relieved sigh. The blades in his body were pulled out, leaving him standing and Kyoko's corpse on the ground to bleed out. He returned to his normal, non-magical, state shortly after. Thanatos went back to Minato as he put away his Evoker and Sera dispersed her sword.

"Got to admit, that was some good teamwork," Minato said.

"Heh, it helps that we have a natural leader with us," Ayumu noted. His senpai's Persona provided an opportunity for this battle to end quicker than it possibly should've. He didn't even want to imagine what it'd be like if it was dragged out, though.

"Agreed. Everybody did well," Sera complimented too.

"Nice job, team!" Haruna added. "That skank is now off our backs!"

"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..."

"God, I am beat!" Ayumu stretched his back. His stab wounds were gone now, so he took the moment to adjust his body. He felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. It was over. "What do you guys say to some celebratory ice cream?"

"Don't mind if I do," Minato replied, smiling. Ice cream did sound nice right about now.

"Bring out the tubs!" Haruna eagerly cheered.

Sera nodded in agreement.

"Let's go ho—"

It happened before they could blink. Time slowed down to a crawl.

Just when Seraphim was about to finish her sentence, she abruptly fell forward and coughed up blood onto her husband. On instinct, Minato immediately caught her before she could fall to the ground and held her body. His hand felt warm blood from her back.

The vampire ninja went limp in his embrace.

"Sera...?" Minato stared in horror as his eyes widened. She did not respond back.

A feeling of dread engulfed him.

No.

No. No.

No. No. No.

This couldn't be happening to him. Looking at the ninja right now caused memories to resurface.

Memories of Aragaki Shinjiro dying as he bled out from a fatal gunshot wound that was caused by Takaya of Strega.

Memories of Kirijo Takeharu dying in Mitsuru's arms after being shot by that traitorous Ikutsuki.

Memories of Yoshino Chidori dying once she revived Junpei with her own life essence when the latter was shot by Takaya as well.

Memories of Aigis being severely damaged and almost ceasing to function when she confronted Ryoji.

Memories of that fateful day in 1999, when his parents lay dead in front of him from the result of the Dark Hour in a burning car wreck.

He remembered the anguished screams.

He failed to protect those he cared for back then. He failed to protect Seraphim.

Not again.

"Did you honestly think that would be enough to kill me?" A familiar, haughty voice asked.

Ayumu and Haruna widened their eyes and both saw Kyoko, standing and looking no worse for wear. Her blade was dripping blood.

"Oh, shit! You can't be a zombie too!?" Ayumu panicked. How in the world was she still alive?

Kyoko got a kick out of witnessing the surprised looks on their faces.

"No, but I may as well be with the ten lives I have left. After those are gone, then I can actually die," she informed them. A scowl formed when her eyes fell upon Sera. "If it weren't for that bitch, I would've taken out the biggest nuisance here. But I'm confident I can still kill you all with my remaining lives."

Ayumu gritted his teeth. "Damn you!"

Minato wasn't able hear what they were saying. To him, the world was silent ever since Kyoko cut down Seraphim.

The one thing he did hear was a voice inside him.

"Go on. Make her suffer."

Almost robotically, he laid Sera onto the ground gently and stood up.

When he had the blonde Magical Garment Girl in his sight, he could only see red.

He felt a tight sensation in his chest as he placed his hands on it. What was happening? It was like something inside him was about to burst. It burned. It made his body pulsate. However, a single thought persisted in his mind in spite of it all.

He only cared about seeing Kyoko lie dead at his feet.

All of a sudden, a violent and pitch black aura erupted around him as he then cried out towards the heavens beneath a full moon.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Th-the hell...?!" Ayumu was caught off guard. He had never seen his senpai act this way before, let alone scream so vehemently.

"M-Minato?" Haruna timidly said. Her body started to tremble. Her senses were screaming. They were telling her that something was not right.

'What in the world?! He's becoming even more powerful!' Kyoko broke out in a cold sweat. She was able to sense what Haruna was sensing too. In the back of her mind, she was beginning to regret attacking the vampire ninja. What did she just do?

Calm blue hair became black. Mysterious golden eyes were replaced by red.

Minato stopped screaming. His normally composed face was now sporting a vicious glare. He was still enveloped by a black aura.

"S-Senpai...?" Ayumu called carefully.

If Minato heard Ayumu, he didn't give him a response. The Persona-user seemed to be solely fixated on their enemy.

"Haaaaaaaaa!" The boy roared with ferocity. His voice too had changed, sounding rather distorted. It simply made him sound more primal.

By the time Kyoko could even process what was transpiring, the next thing she knew Minato had closed the distance between them in an instant and delivered a deadly punch to her jaw. There was a sickening crunch sound Ayumu and Haruna heard from where they were standing which made them wince.

And just like that, Kyoko had already lost another one of her lives as the force of Minato's blow managed to break her neck. Her body was flung across the graveyard, smashing into several gravestones before coming to a complete stop. Her life count was down to nine now.

As much as Haruna disliked her fellow Magical Garment Girl, she gasped at how brutal her friend was. It wasn't even the funny kind of brutal. It was pure rage she was witnessing.

Ayumu was just as apprehensive. Should he let his senpai mow down Kyoko's remaining lives or calm him down? He was at a loss about what to do.

"Ayumu? I'm scared..." Haruna admitted to him. The younger zombie pulled her in to hug and comfort her.

"Me too, Haruna..."

His mind then flashed back to the night he had his heart-to-heart with Eucliwood.

[My power is a curse I can't discard. Because of it, I can't forgive myself for what I did to Minato.]

'I don't know exactly what is going on, but I really wish she were here right now!' Ayumu fretted. He believed having the necromancer here would be a major boon. He didn't know the full extent of her powers as he had never seen them in action aside from healing. Maybe she could help Minato snap out of it?

Minato eyed Kyoko's body, waiting to see when her next life would activate. Slowly, her neck snapped back into place as she tried to get up. She vomited blood while doing so.

If there was any shred of mercy left in Minato's soul, it was gone because he did not wait for her to even stand up.

Not yet.

He was not finished yet.

Not until he made her suffer for her crimes.

A pair of green eyes slowly opened. Seraphim placed a hand on her head. It was ringing with sounds and senses overlapping each other. What happened to her? The last thing she remembered was that she was about to go home with everyone after killing the renegade Magical Garment Girl.

"Ngh!" She winced in pain when she attempted to sit up. Her back hurt for some reason.

"Sera! You're okay!" Ayumu exclaimed in relief.

"What... happened?" Sera weakly asked him while noticing him and Haruna looking distraught.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaagh!" A feral scream interrupted them.

Bewildered, her eyes darted around the graveyard to locate the source. The vampire ninja's eyes widened when she found it.

"Is... is that, Minato...?" She hesitantly inquired. He was different. She almost didn't recognize him without his trademark blue hair or gold eyes. He was radiating vast amounts of power, but it all felt... negative and dark.

"Kyoko's not dead yet!" Ayumu relayed to her. "She still has many lives left from the people she killed. You were hit with a sneak attack. Minato... He went berserk after that and became what you're seeing now."

Minato's black aura fluctuated and shortly after an entity came into existence from behind him. At a glance, it appeared to be one of his Personas: Orpheus. He had summoned a Persona without his Evoker.

Orpheus was visually different. Its design was black and red. Its lyre was red too, and it had small bat-like wings. Under one of its eyes was a seemingly white teardrop.

With a strum of its lyre came an explosion of fire that detonated squarely on Kyoko.

"GAAAAAAAAAH!" She wailed in agony from being burned alive.

Sera grimaced from such cruelty. She had never seen Minato display such acts of violence before. His appearance, his movements, his actions — they were a far cry from what she had come to known from being around the Messiah.

All of this just felt... wrong.

Even though she can agree that it was in everybody's best interest that Kyoko should die permanently, she was very worried about Minato. What if he didn't revert to normal when he was finished eliminating the rest of the blonde girl's lives?

She placed a hand over her heart as she could only watch what he would do next.

Next: Chapter 7: The Song of Life

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Fool: Rank 7

Empress (Naegleria Nebiros): Rank 2

Chariot (Haruna): Rank 6

Fortune (Seraphim): Rank 7

Death (Eucliwood Hellscythe): Rank 5

Temperance (Aikawa Ayumu): Rank 7

A/N: Almost seven months later for an update isn't all that bad, considering my track record. And just in time before I return to college.

Am I evil or what for leaving this chapter on such a cliffhanger? To be honest, I was more than ready to go beyond. The main issue lies within the pacing had I extended this chapter further. I personally thought it would've become a painful mess, so I cut this down by quite a lot.

This time, I actually don't have much to say. Better to keep you all in suspense and wait to see the reactions, heh.

Until next time, sayonara!