The Divine Spirit

Chapter 1: Spring of Awakening

"I won't let you make that face." — Itsuka Shido

Nothing.

There was absolutely nothing as far as the eye could see.

Nothing to see. Nothing to hear.

A realm of nothingness and darkness.

It was daunting.

Mundane.

Desolate.

He couldn't move. He couldn't feel anything but the darkness that surrounded him.

He didn't know where he was or why he was here.

He felt empty.

He felt alone.

He felt sad.

It was a dreadful experience that felt unending.

'...'

"-e…?"

'...?'

"-ey..."

A voice was heard.

'...Who's there?'

"-se me..."

'...Where?'

Where was it originating from? The voice sounded closer every time it spoke.

"...Are you okay?"

'...Huh?'

Everything then started to fade away.

A pair of gray eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times. Bright light invaded their vision, making the eyes squint in recoil. Everything was blurred out of proportions. Only a few seconds later did the eyes regain sight.

"Ugh..."

"You're awake."

"...What?" A blue-haired boy murmured.

He felt that he was lying on his stomach, hardly moving. Whatever he was on, it was as solid as a rock. His vision was beginning to return to him. When it did, he saw someone crouching down in front of him.

"Hmm?" There was a girl who was tilting her head. Her white hair was barely reaching her shoulders. On her face was a bandage attached to her left cheek. Her arms and legs also had bandages wrapped around them. She was staring down at the blue-haired boy in front of her with her blue eyes, showing little to no emotion in them. She was also wearing a uniform of sorts.

Blinking a few times at the sight of the girl, the blue-haired boy started to stand up. His body felt tired, but he chalked it up to himself sleeping just a short while ago. He looked at the white-haired girl with a look of confusion.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"The same could be said about you." Her voice, like her eyes, showed no emotion.

"Oh… right. My name is Arisato Minato," the blue-haired male introduced himself, deciding to reveal his name. The white-haired girl nodded.

"Tobiichi Origami," she calmly said, revealing her name.

"Did you... get hurt?" Minato couldn't help but notice Origami's numerous bandages. What could've caused such injuries?

"Hmm?" Origami tilted her head.

Minato pointed to his left cheek.

"Your bandages."

"Ah." Origami placed her hand on her cheek. "They are minor injuries. Do not worry."

"If you say so," Minato conceded. It didn't seem like he would get anything more out of her if he persisted. He supposed Origami was stronger than she let on.

"Your concern isn't necessary, but I appreciate it," Origami thanked. "Why were you on the ground?"

Confusion was apparent on Minato's face.

"Huh?"

"You were on the ground. Why?"

That was a good question, and the blue-haired boy didn't really know the answer to that. Why was he on the ground? What was he even doing?

"I… don't know," he answered truthfully, rubbing the back of his head. Nothing was coming to him.

Origami stared at Minato for a moment, not saying anything immediately. To Minato, it seemed like she was analyzing him. He was waiting to hear a response from her.

Before the silence dragged on for too long, Origami simply said, "Okay."

"Uh, 'okay'…? That's it?" Minato asked, a bit surprised. With a vague answer like that, why didn't she ask him more questions? Was Origami not that nosy? Or did she just assume Minato was abnormal?

"Not really the strangest thing I've seen somebody do. I was just passing by to see how the construction was faring." She pointed to her left with her pointer finger. Minato turned his head with regard to that direction and saw a large building that stretched wide horizontally, but parts of it were destroyed. Debris was heavily focused on the right side. There were construction vehicles and equipment at the base of the building. No one, not even construction workers, was around though. Origami continued, "I found you face down on the ground moments ago and wondered if you were alive or not. And here we are."

"Is that right? Thanks then, Tobiichi-san." Minato was kind of touched. A random stranger decided to check on him just like that? It was nice to know that there were people like Origami in the world.

"No need for thanks, it was only natural." Origami shook her head. "I'll be on my way now, though. I originally came here to see the construction progress. Due to recent events, it seems that it will take some time before it's finished." She began to walk past Minato in another direction. After walking a few feet away, she stopped and turned her head back. "It was nice to meet you, Arisato-san. I strongly advise against further sleeping on the streets by the way."

'What a strange girl,' Minato thought. He glanced in the direction Origami was walking in. Her personality seemed to be devoid of any obvious emotion. But she appeared to be rather considerate.

Shortly after Origami left, the bluenette realized something.

"Where am I?" He looked around him. Upon further observation, his surroundings were completely unknown to him. It looked like he was in a city of Japan, considering the kanji letters on some buildings and signs, but the area wasn't recognizable to Minato.

Not only that, there was a more pressing matter at hand.

"...Why can't I remember anything?"

'Clothes. Check. MP3. Check. Headphones. Check. Evoker. Check. Hair? ...Check. Besides money, everything seems to be in order.'

Currently standing by an arcade, Minato was trying to see what he had on him. Everything he thought was necessary was with him. He saw his reflection in the arcade's glass window. Minato's hair was blue and long, his bangs covering his right eye. Both of his eyes were gray with whitened pupils. He wore a black school uniform, judging from the emblem on his blazer. Among his possessions, there was something on him that wasn't familiar at first glance.

'An armband?' His left arm sported a red armband that spelled out "S.E.E.S." in black lettering. Despite not knowing the armband's significance, he felt strangely attached to it when looking at it. 'I'll… leave it on. Something about it feels right.'

Minato believed he was in perfect physical condition. He couldn't say the same for his mental state, on the other hand.

Amnesia. He believed he was suffering from amnesia.

For some inexplicable reason, he had knowledge of his name and his unique power, but his past memories avoided him. No inkling to important information like his friends or family, his home, or anything. As hard as he tried to recall something, nothing arose in his mind.

Although, he could have sworn he heard a faint voice when he attempted to reminisce. However, it was too difficult to make out what that voice said. It sounded as if it was... distorted, like hearing someone communicating through a phone while the connection was atrocious. That being said, it only helped in broadening Minato's confusion.

As a result of finding more mysteries than answers, Minato was annoyed and couldn't think clearly. He wasn't sure what to do now.

He frowned, as he leaned against the arcade's exterior while crossing his arms. He looked up and began to stare at the blue sky.

A small growl then escaped from his stomach.

Oh, right. No money meant no food either.

He sighed.

"This isn't good."

"Arisato-san."

It hadn't been long since Minato last saw Tobiichi Origami. Half an hour, to be exact.

He had elected to go inside the arcade to clear his mind. While watching a pair of twins, both of whom were garbed in questionable attire, competitively playing a racing game against each other, Origami managed to approach him from behind without gaining his attention until she spoke up.

"Oh. Hey, Tobiichi-san. What are you doing here?" Minato asked composedly, turning his attention to the white-haired girl. He wasn't expecting to see her so soon, or at all. He also wasn't sure how he didn't notice her earlier. He supposed he was too engrossed in observing others playing video games.

"The same could be said about you," Origami repeated the same words from earlier. Straight to the point once again, huh?

"Weren't you going somewhere earlier?" Minato inquired, recalling what Origami said before she left a while ago.

"I did, but then I decided that I wanted to go see someone," Origami countered.

"Are you meeting them in this arcade?" Minato looked around.

Origami shook her head before replying, "Not really. I just happened to see you through the window while I was on my way. It was only a coincidence that I found you here."

"Fair enough," Minato relented.

"Are you here to play games, Arisato-san?" Origami asked him.

"I…"

He briefly hesitated in telling Origami the truth of his predicament, but considering his options he had no other choice if he wanted to survive. Isolating himself would most likely do him more harm than good.

So, he chose to talk.

"I didn't come here to play any games. I just… don't know where to go."

Origami was understandably confused from that statement.

"What do you mean? Did you run away from home?" She asked.

Minato shook his head.

"I can't remember my past."

"You… can't? Even though you know your name?" Origami wondered curiously, eliciting a bitter sigh from the bluenette. Minato had expected a response like that.

"I know it sounds outlandish," the blue-haired boy began to reason, "but my name is the only thing I can remember about myself."

He half-lied, purposely leaving out his ability to summon a Persona, or in his case, multiple Personas. What was the point in telling a normal individual that? Even with amnesia, he knew not just anyone can have the potential to use a Persona or knowledge of them.

"You don't remember your friends or family at all...?" Origami continued to ask.

"Nothing comes to mind, even whether or not I have a home. I'm drawing a blank on anything else besides my name. Before you came along, I was trying to sort things out like which city this is," Minato concluded with a frown. The more he talked about his situation, the more bleak things seemingly were. But he did admittedly feel somewhat better after confiding in Origami.

Origami gazed at Minato with an unreadable expression, but she was carefully taking in the information he gave her. Despite his odd story, she believed the blue-haired boy wasn't lying to her. No noticeable slip-ups either, and she was fairly confident in her ability to spot any lies or habits that would suggest otherwise.

Minato seemed very genuine with her. The melancholy in his gray eyes was almost easy for her to see. And she couldn't help but pity him.

She had been through her share of hardships to realize when someone desperately needed assistance. He almost reminded her of herself, and being an idle bystander would go against everything she stood for.

"Tengu City," she said after what felt like a long time to the boy she was speaking to.

"Huh?"

"Tengu City," Origami repeated. "That's the city you are currently in."

"Ah... Alright. Thanks, Tobiichi-san. That name doesn't sound familiar, though..." Minato mumbled. He didn't know that there was a city by that name. It didn't ring any bells. Was that another memory forgotten? Why couldn't he remember anything? Frustration started to build up inside him as those thoughts repeated themselves in his mind.

Origami suddenly took one of Minato's hands and held it with hers, taking him by slight surprise.

"Come with me," she insisted.

"To where?" Minato wondered.

"You can stay with someone I know, Arisato-san," Origami replied.

"You mean, that person is going to let me stay at their place?" She nodded. "But why though? Won't I just be a burden to them?"

He was taken aback by her kindness. He hardly knew Origami, and she hardly knew him, yet she was offering him a place to stay? And what kind of individual would allow an amnesiac like him to stay with them?

"Because you remind me of myself," Origami responded simply.

"Tobiichi-san…" While her monotonous tone said otherwise, Minato was able to indicate a touch of sadness in her words. Did something happen to her in the past? If so, it seemed too personal to bring up, so he thought it was best not to push the matter further.

"I'd offer to let you stay at my home, but I live in a one-room apartment, Arisato-san. I'm certain I can help you, though," she added confidently.

"I... don't know what to say, Tobiichi-san. Other than thanks..." Minato said. Origami's altruism rendered him speechless. It gave him some hope.

Origami nodded again, accepting his gratitude.

"Let's go. His home is not too far from here, Arisato-san."

Minato and Origami arrived at a home that was ordinary by the looks of it no later than half an hour. The home was located in a suburban area of Tengu City. It consisted of two floors and looked very peaceful in general. Origami rang the doorbell at the front door and a voice was heard from inside.

"Shido! Go get the door!" A feminine, demanding voice called out.

"Yeah, yeah," another voice replied, sounding both casual and annoyed. "Coming!"

The front door was opened. It revealed a young man with amber brown eyes whose height was roughly the same as Minato's. He also had a lighter shade of blue hair, and his hairstyle was messy as if he had gotten out of bed recently.

"T-Tobiichi?" The other blue-haired teen inquired. His face showed confusion and shock. "What are you doing here? Should you really be walking around in your condition? ...And how do you know where I live?"

That last bit of info made Minato wonder what he meant by it, but he shrugged it off.

"I'm sorry," Origami suddenly apologized and bowed, surprising both Minato and the other blue-haired boy. "Although I know an apology is not nearly enough to suffice."

"What are you guys talking about?" Minato asked, genuinely perplexed by the altercation.

"I-It's nothing!" The other blue-haired teen waved his arms frantically. "D-Don't worry, Tobiichi. I forgive you, so could you please stop bowing? Everything turned out for the best, didn't it?" The guy looked embarrassed, most likely because there was another person viewing the commotion. His gaze was then redirected to Minato, who had been standing next to Origami as she straightened herself. "So uh... who's your friend?"

"Arisato Minato," Origami answered, gesturing to Minato. The latter held up a hand in greeting.

"Hello," Minato greeted with a small smile.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Arisato-san. I'm Itsuka Shido," the friendly blue-haired boy said, introducing himself. "What can I do for you two?"

Before Minato could answer, Origami cut him off.

"Arisato-san has a case of amnesia, Shido."

Shido appeared to be surprised from the announcement. His facial expression held a mix of sympathy and seriousness.

"Really? I'm sorry to hear that, Arisato-san," Shido said with a frown.

Minato shook his head.

"Don't worry. It's fine."

"Shido," Origami continued, "could you take Arisato-san into your home for the time being? He doesn't know where his actual home is, and my apartment doesn't have enough space for him and I."

Shido took a step back.

"Wh-What?"

"Do it for your girlfriend, Shido." Origami approached Shido, intruding his personal space and speaking quietly enough for Minato to not hear.

"U-Uh... I guess my home is big enough for one more," Shido muttered, briefly breaking out in a cold sweat. He then faced Minato. "If Tobiichi is serious, then I guess you really do got it rough. My parents are away overseas due to work, so it's only my little sister and I living here right now. Would you like to stay with us for now, Arisato-san? I don't know how helpful we'll be, but I'd feel bad for turning somebody like you away and not trying."

"You know, you're either very kind or very gullible for wanting to do this for someone you hardly know," Minato bluntly stated but smiled. "But… thanks for believing my story. I hope we can get along, Itsuka-san."

Shido then laughed awkwardly.

"People have told me I can be a bit of a do-gooder. Anyway, you don't have to be formal with me. Just Shido is fine. Do you mind if I call you by your first name?"

"Not at all, Shido," Minato responded, smiling.

"Well then, I hope you'll enjoy your stay, Minato!" Shido welcomed his fellow bluenette kindly.

A small smile crept on Origami's face for a fleeting moment. Her face then reverted back to its neutral appearance.

"Shido, Arisato-san. I must go now." Origami then intruded on Shido's personal space again. "I entrust him to you."

"R-Right!" Shido stuttered.

Origami nodded and went on her way to wherever she had to be, with the two blue-haired teens watching her form retreating in the distance.

'Shido is reliable,' Origami mused, nodding to herself and glancing back at her boyfriend's home before resuming her walk.

With Shido, she believed he could help Arisato Minato far better than she could. Shido's kindness was one thing that she admired him for.

'Arisato-san is in good hands.'

"Okay, Minato. Let me show you around the house." Shido motioned for Minato to come inside. Minato nodded and entered the house with Shido. The pair walked through a hall that had a staircase leading to the second floor and entered a living room area. There was a purple couch that arched in in a right angle, a low-level, square-shaped brown table and a television set.

There was a small girl sitting on the couch, watching the TV which had an anime on. Her hair was red and in twin tails, with white ribbons maintaining them. Her eyes were also red with whitened pupils. She also had a lollipop in her mouth.

"Kotori," Shido called out, "come meet our new housemate."

The red-haired girl turned and saw the blue-haired duo, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"Ohhhh!" She exclaimed in excitement and jumped off the couch and speed-walked to Minato, inspecting around him from different angles with curiosity. Minato casually didn't mind the redhead's intense desire of interest as he stood still. "Big brother, who is this?"

"This is Arisato Minato, Kotori," Shido introduced. "Minato, this is my little sister, Kotori."

Minato waved at Kotori.

"It's good to meet you, Kotori-san," he said.

Kotori's mouth formed one of the biggest smiles Shido had ever seen.

"Wow, bro! I didn't know you had a friend like Arisato-san! I didn't know you had any friends at all!"

Shido's eyes narrowed as he gave her a flat stare.

"Very funny," Shido deadpanned. "Anyway, Tobiichi brought Minato to me because he has amnesia and doesn't know where to go," he explained. Rubbing the back of his head, he then added, "And... I couldn't exactly turn him and Tobiichi down. Until he remembers more of his past, I decided that he could stay with us."

Shido was the type of person who did not enjoy seeing people suffer. Right now, Minato reminded Shido of himself when he was younger. He had been abandoned by his birth mother before getting adopted by Kotori's parents. Out of habit, Shido willingly took Minato in when others would realistically doubt Minato's story. Without any memories other than his name, Arisato Minato was someone who was legitimately lost in this world. The thought of him wandering aimlessly without proper guidance or knowledge almost made Shido shudder.

For now, Itsuka Shido would take responsibility for the blue-haired amnesiac. Hopefully someday he would help Minato in regaining his memories.

While he was musing over his thoughts, he and Minato apparently failed to notice that Kotori was crying in a rather cute and comedic way. She then leaped forward and hugged Minato's waist, taking him and Shido by surprise.

"Waaaaaah! How dreadful! Arisato-san can stay here, right, big bro?" She asked Shido with teary, puppy-dog eyes.

"Y-Yeah, he can," Shido stammered, admittedly overwhelmed by her crying.

"Arisato-san?" Kotori looked towards Minato.

"Y-Yes?" He too was overwhelmed by the amount of emotion Shido's sister was displaying.

"Can you become big bro's friend? I don't see him ever hang out with anybody his age! He needs friends!" Minato sweatdropped. He glanced at Shido for a reaction, receiving an embarrassed grin from the other bluenette. Minato then cautiously assumed that Kotori was telling the truth.

He understood that friendship can come in many different forms. Some may take a while to create, while others could spring at the drop of a hat. Results varied, depending on the people who were involved.

Itsuka Shido, though, seemed to be the type of person Minato wished to befriend, taking into account the generosity he had been given recently. Perhaps they could even become the best of friends.

"Sure. I'll be your brother's friend, Kotori-san." Minato patted her head to comfort her. As a result, she was finally beginning to calm down.

"Yay!" Kotori exclaimed happily, finally releasing her grip on Minato. Shido then cleared his throat.

"We'll try our best to help you regain your memories, Minato. We'll also see if we can find anyone related to you during your stay at our home. That way, maybe things for you will become clearer."

"I appreciate that, Shido. Thank you," Minato responded with a smile.

Shido briefly smiled, but he then remembered something that had been bothering him ever since Minato showed up.

"By the way, I don't recognize that school uniform from anywhere, Minato. Were you supposed to be a transfer student?" He brought up. The school symbol he noticed on the amnesiac's uniform was one he believed he had never seen in his life.

"None of the schools in Tengu City have this uniform?" Minato asked, pointing at his clothes.

"Yeah... I'm pretty sure of it," Shido attested.

A bitter sigh escaped from Minato.

"My amnesia sure is a pain..." Minato ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "I don't even know if I was a transfer student, Shido... I'm sorry. This is so ridiculous. I do want an education at the very least... But with my condition, that won't be possible..."

Most students would gladly not go to school if it wasn't such a grand factor in their later years. Minato, although suffering from memory loss, knew the importance of having an education.

The Itsuka siblings felt bad for Minato. Even with amnesia, he still wanted to attend school? That won some respect in their eyes.

Sensing Minato's despair and determining to subvert it, Shido faced his sister to ask for a favor.

"Kotori, do you think you can use your 'connections' to have Minato enrolled into my high school if he isn't already?" Shido asked. "This is the first time I've seen him and I'm not sure if he was supposed to transfer in or not."

"...Connections?" Minato tilted his head.

"Oh, sure, big brother!" Kotori said while nodding, ignoring Minato's confusion. "How old are you, Arisato-san?"

"Um... Sixteen? Maybe seventeen?" Minato said hesitantly. He was still wondering what Shido and Kotori meant by "connections"; he decided to let it go. At this point, he didn't care anymore. He sighed while also running his hand through his hair. "I'm not really sure how old I am. Annoying memory loss... If I had to guess, I look about Shido's age. What school year are you in, Shido?"

"Second-year in high school," Shido replied. Minato nodded in affirmation.

"Alright. I'll enroll in that year, then. Maybe I'm younger or older than I believe, but being a second-year in high school sounds... right, for some reason." He couldn't tell if he was old enough to be Shido's senpai or not, but Minato had a strong feeling that he was around the same age as Shido.

Because the current topic was about school, a thought related to it emerged in Minato's mind.

"Hey guys?"

"What's up, Minato?" Shido asked.

"What day is it today?"

"Today is Saturday," Kotori answered casually.

Minato blinked.

"Why are you guys not at school right now, then?" He questioned. It was Japan's norm for students to go to school six days a week, Monday through Saturday. "Is today a holiday?"

"...Oh!" Shido said, hitting his palm with his fist upon understanding Minato's confusion. "Well, my high school got hit by a spacequake recently. A large part of it was wiped out, so it's being repaired now. I probably won't go back until some time next week."

"My school got hit too!" Kotori included.

His confusion increased despite receiving an answer.

"Space... quake? What is that?"

Shido and Kotori glanced at each other before turning back to Minato.

"It looks like your case of amnesia is more severe than I thought," Shido stated, his expression becoming more solemn. Kotori nodded in agreement. "Come sit on the couch with us, Minato. It will take some time to explain things in order to get you up to speed."

"Did you understand everything, Minato?" Shido tiredly asked the bluenette sitting next to him. The sun had started to set outside. Kotori was napping soundly on the floor next to Shido's feet. "This type of thing is kind of morbid to talk about."

Spacequakes. They were widespread disturbances of space of unknown origin. As the name suggested, they occurred when a region of space shook, destroying all within. Nobody knew the cause. It all started thirty years ago, in the middle of Eurasia. The region consisted of countries such as China, Mongolia, and the Soviet Union. Without warning, the first ever recorded spacequake struck. Those countries were utterly annihilated by it, leaving behind mass destruction and emptiness in its wake. Casualties were reported to be as high as 150 million. It was the largest and deadliest disaster in human history.

After that incident which became known as the Eurasia Sky Disaster, numerous spacequakes occurred across the globe for the next six months, but they weren't as devastating at the first spacequake. The estimated number was around fifty. In Japan, there was one spacequake that leveled an area heavily that was also well known: the Great South Kanto Area Spacequake. There were no more in the following twenty-five years, but starting five years ago, beginning in the reformed Tengu City, the spacequakes have been on the rise. Unfortunately, Japan had been receiving a majority of them.

Mankind had developed safety precautions in order to combat these disasters of mass destruction. The most important aspect of these precautions was to evacuate civilians to underground shelters. Most buildings and facilities were designed to vacate civilians to the shelters before incoming spacequakes destroyed areas. Should areas get ravaged, a group called the Restoration Forces would be sent in to repair what had been destroyed. Due to spacequakes' frequency and differentiating damage levels, the group restored things fairly fast.

"Yeah... I think I do," Minato replied, sounding tired as well. "Spacequakes sound very dangerous. I appreciate you telling me this, Shido. If I hadn't learned about it sooner, I probably would have brushed it off as a joke."

"No problem," Shido said. He acknowledged that it had been some time since Minato came into his home. With that, he asked a question concerning the bluenette's well-being. "Sorry I didn't ask this sooner, but are you hungry, Minato?"

As soon as Shido asked that, Minato's stomach grumbled.

"Heh..." Minato rubbed the back of his head. "I forgot that I haven't eaten at all today."

Shido chuckled at this.

"Well, you're in luck! Since my parents' jobs keep them busy away from home, I had to be the adult and do most of the chores in this house, especially cooking for Kotori and I. How about I make us some curry?"

Minato nodded.

"That sounds sweet."

Kotori immediately woke up.

"SWEETS!"

"Here we are, Minato," Shido said, guiding Minato to their high school. Both of them were now in Raizen High School male uniforms for second-years. The uniforms consisted of black blazers and white shirts beneath them, accompanied with grey trousers. They also had to wear blue-and-white neckties. Minato had kept his headphones and MP3 player on his person. Having those items with him felt natural, and he liked listening to his music. That was one detail he thankfully didn't forget.

After walking some distance from Shido's home, they reached the entrance of the school. Other students could be seen talking with each other or checking their phones as they walked inside.

"Wait... This is that building I saw that was under construction," Minato pointed out, remembering where he and Origami initially met. The school was already complete so soon?

"Pretty fast, right? The Restoration Forces do a great job at, well, restoring things," Shido commented. "You know, it's kind of interesting that you'll be transferring into my class, Class 2-4. What are the odds of that, right?"

Shido then laughed nervously, almost like he was hiding something. Minato noticed this but ignored it.

"I wonder if I'll make a good impression," Minato mused.

"...Haaah."

Shido absentmindedly sighed while staring at the ceiling of his classroom. A lot of things happened in the past few days for him. His thoughts were fixated on a certain someone he wasn't able to see for a while. He couldn't visit them, or rather, he was prohibited from doing so, which bothered him quite a bit.

And then there was Arisato Minato. Tobiichi Origami, Shido's "girlfriend" practically left Minato in his care. Minato was an amnesiac — someone who lost their memories. Shido could sympathize with the other blue-haired teen. When he was younger, an incident left him without memories as well. Many years passed since then and he still couldn't remember his past very well. Shido figured it was best not to think about it so much. The present and future were more important to him. It was because of this mindset that he wanted to help Minato recover from his condition.

Deep down he knew it from the beginning, but investigating an amnesiac's past was a difficult task to accomplish. The last two days held no results for him, Minato, and Kotori when they wandered through Tengu City for any indication of Minato's past. With Minato understandably disappointed, it was up to Shido and Kotori to cheer him up, insisting that his memories would come back to him eventually.

When taking breaks in their search, the Itsuka siblings gained a better understanding of Minato's personality. Whether it was because he was an amnesiac or not, Minato was a soft-spoken individual, usually not speaking unless he was being spoken to, but there were occasions where he initiated conversations himself. He was very observant of his surroundings and was fond of listening to the music he had on his MP3 player. Though what type of MP3 Minato had eluded both Shido and Kotori, including his headphones, to which they decided to not give a second thought — didn't seem that important to dwell on. Minato also possessed a proficiency in cooking that was on par with Shido's, much to the Itsuka siblings' initial surprise. It was yesterday when they found that out. The blue-haired amnesiac had prepared dinner for them as thanks for their hospitality. Kotori was absolutely elated by Minato's food when she tasted it, and Shido discovered a new partner to cook with.

Despite his past being enshrouded in mystery, Arisato Minato appeared to be a pleasant person to be around. As unfortunate as his condition was, Shido was glad to have met Minato. One day, he would make things right for the amnesiac.

"Something wrong, Itsuka?" A student with swept-back, spiky black hair and blackish-gray eyes stood in front of Shido. His name was Tonomachi Hiroto. He was a classmate of Shido's who spoke to him more often than anyone else in school.

"Oh. Hey, Tonomachi," Shido said exhaustively. "I'm fine. I'm just tired. It's been a long weekend for me."

Tonomachi chuckled.

"Well, duh. It's been a long weekend for all of us because of that spacequake that hit our school. So, what happened to that cute girl I saw you were on a date with the other day? Did you two break up?"

Shido grunted.

"No, we didn't. I also don't want to talk about it." Shido's eyes narrowed in another direction.

Seeing Shido's seriousness, Tonomachi decided to drop the conversation and returned to his seat, pulling out his phone to check up on his own "girlfriend". Then at that time, the door of the classroom slid open and a student walked through it.

It was Origami.

"Tobiichi?" Shido stood up from his seat. Origami was still covered with bandages like Shido remembered. Everyone in the classroom was abuzz, their whispering and gazes gathered on Origami's appearance. She walked over to Shido with a couple of uncertain steps until she was right in front of him.

"Hello, Shido," Origami greeted.

"I-I'm glad to see you're doing well, Tobiichi," he said, trying to ignore the several stares he was getting from his classmates.

Origami unexpectedly gave a deep bow. Shido was taken by surprise and the classroom was becoming noisy as a result.

"I'm sorry, Shido. After what I did, I felt guilty for putting more responsibility on you. Is he alright?" She asked him.

The classroom went into an uproar, everyone's attention focusing on Shido and Origami.

"Wha... Itsuka, did you do something to Tobiichi!?"

"'More responsibility'!?"

"Did she say 'is he alright'!?"

"Get your minds out of the gutter!" Shido shouted to his gossiping classmates. Unfortunately, there was no way he could explain the situation in detail. Shido faced Origami again, who was still bowing. "I-I'll forgive you, so for now raise your head."

"So how is he?" Origami asked about Minato as she obediently straightened up.

Shido leaned in closer to Origami's ear and whispered into it.

"He's fine. He's crashing at my place still."

Origami gave a silent nod.

"One last thing." She then gripped Shido's necktie and pulled Shido close to her face, her emotionless expression not even changing in the slightest. Shido let out a small yelp.

"Y-Yeah?" Shido wondered.

"No cheating," Origami stated calmly.

"...Huh?"

Everyone's, including Shido's, eyes became dots when they witnessed the entire scene. Then the chime that signaled the start of homeroom rang. The students, save Shido and Origami, returned to their assigned seats, still glancing with interest. Origami continued to stare intently at Shido's face, however.

"You are my boyfriend, are you not?" She asked.

Shido gulped.

He nearly forgot about their "relationship."

Minato stood near the entrance of Class 2-4 in an empty hallway. The school day had technically begun a while ago, but he was a new student at Raizen High that had yet to be introduced. He was waiting for his soon-to-be teacher to show up so that his introduction would go underway.

He had to admit, he was sort of excited to be a student. Although he lost his memories, he could still pursue an education. That was one of the few silver linings he came across these past few days: experiencing new things with a fresh mindset.

Whatever Shido meant by Kotori's "connections" had somehow gotten him transferred in without much difficulty, even if he was an amnesiac. It did make him wonder who exactly he was he living with, but he did not want to indulge on the matter too much. It wasn't his place to judge the people who graciously allowed him to stay with them, and they didn't seem to be involved in sketchy activities either.

Shido and Kotori were fine with him staying with them, and they promised to support him through his crisis. They offered him to stay with them for as long as he needed to, which took Minato by surprise. Their hospitality was overwhelming, and he told them that he believed he would be taking advantage of them if his stay dragged on. To his mild shock, Shido said that it would be fine and told him not to worry about it. Kotori, on the other hand, wanted the amnesiac bluenette to stay so that her brother would have at least one friend, since she believed Shido didn't really have one true friend. Shido, in order to cover up his own embarrassment, assured Minato that Kotori was just lonely and wanted to have another person around the house, to which the redhead admitted was partially true.

The Itsuka siblings were, for lack of a better word, unique, from Minato's perspective. They did make him feel at home and were very caring. They even took the amnesiac out for walks in Tengu City so that he may recall a few things from his past. He sadly couldn't remember anything from them, but he did become slightly more acclimated to the city and appreciated the gesture.

After a couple of moments, Minato was brought out of his reminiscing when he found himself being stared at by a girl. Her ponytailed hair was purple, like her eyes which also had whitened pupils. She additionally wore a female Raizen High uniform.

"Is that you, Shido?!" The girl asked hopefully. She began hopping up and down in joy like an excited child. "I missed you so much!"

"Who are you...?" Minato wondered sincerely. Who was this person that mistook him for Shido? Granted, they both had blue hair and were around the same height, so it made sense to Minato as to why this girl misidentified him.

The girl's mouth dropped from shock when she heard his question.

"What!? How could you not know who I am?! Don't you remember me? We went on that date, and there were all these tasty things I ate, and I had so much fun with you!" She cried out, beginning to pout with her arms crossed.

'...Is she your girlfriend, Shido?' Minato thought. In all honesty, the girl in front of him was quite pretty. Her body was the type many other girls wished they had. She seemed to have a cute, childlike demeanor; it complemented her. From the looks of it, Shido had stolen her heart, judging how she appeared to care for the oldest Itsuka sibling. This actually impressed Minato.

Without warning, the girl who knew Shido then grabbed Minato by his blazer and viciously shook him back and forth repeatedly.

"REMEMBER. ME. SHIDO!" She shouted with emphasis, legitimately worried that Shido had forgotten about her.

"I. Am. Not. Shido!" Minato responded, albeit a tad dizzily.

"Liar! You have blue hair like he does!" The girl retorted, finally releasing Minato's blazer.

"Alright, but does he have gray eyes like mine?" Minato countered while fixing his uniform.

The girl stared at him with a lot of focus, trying to tell the difference between him and Shido. A short amount of time passed before she suddenly gasped and pointed at him.

"N-No. Your eyes are... different than his."

"I'm not Shido, but I do know him. My name is Arisato Minato. Nice to meet you," Minato introduced himself almost bluntly. At last, this girl was realizing her mistake.

"O-Oh... I'm sorry. I'm Yatogami Tohka," the girl revealed to be called Tohka said with slight shame.

"It's okay, Yatogami-san. I forgive you. I can see why you were confused. Shido and I both have blue hair, I suppose. Let's just start fresh, alright?" Minato asked, willing to overlook their recent debate.

"Start... fresh?" Tohka questioned, wondering what Minato meant by those words. "You mean, like food?"

"Uh... Not exactly," Minato said with confusion. "What I mean to say is–"

Before he could finish what he wanted to say, another voice interrupted him.

"Oh! You two must be the new students!"

"Tobiichi... Could you let go of me? Please?" Shido requested nicely.

"Not until you promise me," Origami stated flatly.

Whispers of the altercation were increasing in the classroom by the second, much to Shido's dismay.

"Is the genius dating Itsuka?"

"Dear God! Is that true?"

"I never thought she would be interested in someone like him."

"There has to be some ulterior motive."

'This is bad...' Shido brooded. 'Please... Someone...'

"Goooood morning, everyone! Homeroom is starting!" A lady with a small build and thin-framed glasses walked into the classroom with a cheerful expression on her face. Her name was Okamine Tamae; she was the teacher for Class 2-4. Many students called her by her nickname, Tama-chan, because of her childish face. She walked over to the desk in the front of the room. Tamae noticed Origami holding Shido's necktie. "Hmm? Tobiichi-san, what are you doing?"

"..." Origami flashed a quick glance at her teacher and then released Shido's necktie while silently returning to her seat, which was to Shido's left.

'Thank you, Sensei,' Shido internally thanked as he adjusted himself in his seat.

"O-Okay then, is everybody settled in?" Tamae asked, trying to alleviate her class's unrest that she sensed. She hit her hand, remembering what she needed to do and gestured to the class entrance. "Oh, that's right! Before we take attendance, I have two surprises for you kids! Come in!"

"Mm."

"Right."

Two voices responded back.

"Wha..." Shido muttered.

"...!" Origami's eyes widened.

Jaws belonging to Shido and Origami dropped simultaneously. A girl with long dark purple hair in a ponytail entered the classroom, wearing the female Raizen High School uniform along with a familiar blue-haired boy with gray eyes. They both stood at the front of the room to face the class.

"I am transferring into this class today. My name is Yatogami Tohka! Pleased to be in your care," the girl said with a huge smile on her face.

"And I'm Arisato Minato. Pleased to make your acquaintances," the boy said with a small smile, raising a hand in greeting.

Once again, the entire class went into an uproar. An impossibly beautiful girl and a very handsome boy were transferring in at the same time? The guys couldn't take their eyes off of Tohka. The same thing applied to Minato as the girls were beginning to blush just from looking at him.

Ignoring the various gazes, both Minato and Tohka wrote their names on the chalkboard with chalk, although Tohka only wrote her first name. She then gave a satisfying nod to herself.

'What...?' Origami was dumbfounded from seeing Minato. He became a student at her high school despite his ambiguous condition? And then there was Tohka. She was especially familiar with her.

"Wh... you... Why are you..." Shido was staring with widened eyes at Tohka.

"Huh?" Tohka turned her head to face the source of the voice. Her eyes then had stars in them. "Ohh, Shido! I missed you!"

She hopped over to right beside Shido. Once again, Shido was the main focus of the class.

"She must really like you, Shido." Minato walked over to where Shido sat too, his hands in his pockets. "Before we came in, Yatogami-san thought I was you until I convinced her I wasn't. She's a very cheerful person, don't you think so?"

"Minato looked a lot like you at first, Shido! I was very surprised!" Tohka exclaimed. "Are you two brothers!?"

Shido was sweating profusely at the attention he was getting. Murmurs were heard all around the classroom.

"T-Tohka...? Why are you here?" He whispered to Tohka quietly.

"The examinations and stuff are over," Tohka whispered back. "They said that 99% of my power is gone. I think everything seemed to end well. Now I can be with you and not cause trouble by existing anymore, Shido!"

Shido briefly smiled but then he shook his head.

"And your family name?"

"That, uhh, sleepy woman gave it to me," Tohka replied.

"Geez..." Shido scratched the back of his head and sighed. He was glad that he could see Tohka now and that she was allowed to be free, but there were other things to be concerned with.

"Something wrong, Shido?" Minato asked.

"Yeah, is there? Ahh, could it be, were you lonely when I was gone?" Tohka asked aloud. Then the commotion in the classroom was reaching new heights of excitement. Feeling more uncomfortable than ever, Shido somehow managed to get his voice out.

"What? ...Don't say something weird like that."

Tohka pouted.

"Hmph. How cold. Even though you were chasing me wildly back then." She crossed her arms with a faint blush on her face. Shido immediately felt shivers down his spine. The students were becoming even more agitated than before. At this rate, everyone would know Shido's name by the time school was over. Minato acknowledged what must have been on everyone's minds too.

"N-No, Tohka!" Shido stuttered. "S-Saying it like that will cause everyone to misunderstand!"

Tohka tilted her head.

"What? Are you saying that it was a misunderstanding? Even though it was my first time..."

And then everyone's agitation reached its peak.

Minato simply rolled his eyes. His gut feeling told him Shido and Tohka never got that far in their relationship, in contrast to what the other students were assuming based on their vague statements.

"Eh?" Tohka suddenly turned her face to the right.

In front of Shido's and Minato's eyes, something that seemed like a pen sliced horizontally through the air at an incredible speed. Before it could make contact with anything, it was swiftly caught.

The pen was caught by none other than Arisato Minato.

Looking for its source, he saw Origami in a posture as if she had just thrown the pen with widened eyes.

Shido's jaw dropped.

Minato smiled for a moment but then frowned. Why would Origami do something like that?

"...Huh?"

"..." Origami then focused on Tohka. Their eyes met. Minato and Shido could practically see the sparks flying.

"You... Why are you here?" Tohka questioned, almost threateningly.

"That is my line," Origami retorted in her monotonous tone. Everyone could just feel the tension between them.

'Ah. A rivalry,' Minato assumed.

"Oh no…" Shido tensed up, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"H-Hey! Stop it! Let's end this now! Okay? Don't fight!" Tamae hurriedly cut between the two girls and somehow managed to diffuse the situation. She cleared her throat. "We need to find available seats for our new students. Let's see... Arisato-san's seat will be... in front of Itsuka-san!"

Tamae had pointed to the empty desk in front of Shido. Minato shrugged and took his designated seating arrangement after returning Origami her pen. He turned behind him to interact with Shido.

"Girl troubles, Shido?" Minato asked. Shido nodded his head unenthusiastically. "I don't think I get the whole picture yet. Are you dating Yatogami-san, Tobiichi-san, or…"

"So... I took Tohka on a date not long before I met you," Shido hesitantly admitted. "And things are currently complicated between me and Tobiichi..."

"Huh. I didn't think you were that type of person, Shido…" Minato couldn't help but feel displeased by Shido's answer that made the latter sound like a womanizer.

"N-No, no, no! There's more to it, I swear!" Shido hastily exclaimed, raising his hands in front of him. "You gotta believe me, Minato."

Minato sighed lightly. This seemed like a tricky situation Shido had gotten himself into. He pitied Tohka and Origami.

"Alright, I will. Don't play with these girls' hearts, though. If you need help, maybe I can give you advice."

"Really?" Shido perked up a little.

Minato smiled.

"What are friends for, right?"

Shido felt the burden on his shoulders leaving him. He was glad things didn't escalate further when Minato acknowledged the tension between Tohka and Origami. He didn't like this any better than Minato, but he was forced to deal with it.

Then again, perhaps Minato could help him deal with girls. It sounded better than playing a dating sim program, honestly. He felt pathetic when he had to play through one.

"Now, let's see." Tamae was trying to find a spot for Tohka now. "Yatogami-san's seat will be—"

Tohka then approached a girl who was sitting to Shido's right.

"Found one!" She exclaimed happily. An intense scowl formed on her face as she made eye contact with the girl. "Move."

"Eeeeek!" Faced with that pressure, the female student fell down from her chair, fainting on the floor.

"Thank you!" Tohka cheerfully sat down and looked towards Shido. But in doing so, she also met Origami's gaze.

"..."

"..."

The two of them silently glared at each other.

Showered with strange looks from both sides, Shido planted his head on his desk and sighed loudly.

Minato faintly smiled from the situation.

'This might be a fun year. I can feel it. ...Weird, that sounded familiar. Where have I heard that before?'

A/N: Allow me to say welcome to the first Date A Live and Persona 3 crossover! This idea was a story idea given by Angel of light darkness that I found interesting! Thanks for the idea by the way! This idea really got my attention! There are only a few Persona crossovers I've seen that really click. Here's to hoping that this will add on to the pile!

Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated! I'm not asking for follows and favorites because that'll make me sound greedy, and I don't like that. It's totally up to you readers if you want to read the story!

(Modified as of March 2019)