Persona 3: You're Not Alone

Extra Story 4: Dog Days

It's Sunday morning at the dorm. Koromaru is eating his morning meal on the floor. He stops when he hears Minato come down the stairs, then runs toward him and barks as he circles around him. Minato yawns before kneeling down to pet him with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Koro!" he says. "How're you doin' this mornin'?" Koromaru puts his front paws on Minato's knee to stand and nuzzles his face on his. As Minato stands up and walks over to the counter for a bowl of cereal, he notices that no one else is in the lounge.

"Koromaru, are you the only one here?" he asks as he sits at the table. Koromaru hops up on the chair next to Minato and whines. Minato chuckles and pats his head.

"No fun being alone, huh? Yeah, I get it." Koromaru barks and wags his tail.

As he's eating, a pair of slim arms suddenly wrapped around his neck, a warm torso pressed against his back, and a soft, warm pair of lips rubbed against his cheek. Minato rubs the cheek of the face those lips belong to.

"Mornin', cuteness." The lovely archer giggles as she squeezes her boyfriend tight and nuzzles her cheek on his.

"Mor-ning, you! Hm hm hm!" Yukari gets behind Koromaru's chair and starts petting him all over, very much to his content.

"Hey there, Koro-chan! Somebody's fur feels extra fluffy today!" Koromaru barks. Minato looks back at Yukari as she starts making toast.

"We still on for today?" Yukari nods.

"Of course. Assuming you have some kind of plan for today." Yukari sits on the opposites side of the the table and laughs.

"Nah! I don't care where we go! Anywhere with you is all I need." Minato smirks.

"Good… cuz I wanna head over to Shirakawa." Yukari's eyes pop out and she became the world's brightest pink neon light bulb. Minato laughs hysterically.

"Ha ha ha! PSYCH! Made ya think!" Yukari stares daggers at him.

"Oh, don't you even start!" Minato takes a minute to stop laughing.

"Anyway… We can start with Wakatsu at the strip mall, then we can head over to Paulownia. I heard about this really cool ice cream place that opened up. Chegall Cafe after that. Then, we'll wrap it up with a late movie. How's that sound?" Yukari's excitement shines through her smile.

"Oooh, sounds like a busy day!" she giggles. "So, what's so special about the ice cream place?"

"You'll see it when… we…" The couple's attention is turned to Koromaru when they notice his sad puppy face.

"Hey, boy, what's wrong?" Yukari asks. Minato quickly comes to a realization and looks around the basically empty lounge.

"Ohhh… No else is here right now. If we go out, Koro's gonna be all by himself today." Yukari smiles as she moves to the other side of the table to pet Koromaru. He hops off the chair to receive her love.

"Awww! Are you all gwumpy cuz no one's here to pway with you? Are you feeling wonwey, huh?" Koromaru whimpers and wags his tail as he stands on his hind legs to lick her face, which makes her laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha! Oh, you're so cute!" As he looks on at the sight of his girlfriend playing with who he considers to be the coolest and manliest dog in the history of the universe, Minato gets an idea.

"Hey, Koro... wanna go on a date with me and Yuka today?" Koromaru springs to life and starts barking and running around the room with joy. Yukari puts on a big smile.

"Now that sounds like a lot of fun!" Minato stands up from his chair.

"We can still do most of the stuff I was planning the two us do. Just not the movies..." Minato smiles awkwardly at Koromaru.

"You and me both know what happened last time we tried that, right?" Koromaru suddenly starts growling, barking, and running around, surprising Yukari.

"W-Whoa! Hey, what's wrong?!" Minato starts laughing and grabs his collar.

"Alright, you! Stop acting all fussy! We'll go get the DVD before we go home." Koromaru was instantly happy again. Minato stands up.

"Well, I'm done eating. Wanna get going?" The toaster had impeccable time.

"Ready when you are! Lemme just grab my toast." He walks with the two to the door, grabbing the clean rag, the tennis ball, and the bag of specially made dog treats near the entrance before leaving, with Yukari chasing after him with warm toast in hand.

xxx

Koromaru happily padded alongside the smiling lovers, holding hands as tight as they can.

At Wakstsu, Minato managed to get a bowl of vegetables to mix in with his meat patty treats. He and Yukari got the same thing they always get since Minato took her here for the first time. Yukari starts smiling.

"Mmmm! The taste never gets old!" she says.

"Eating with you never gets old either," Minato chuckles.

"If we weren't in public, I would so kiss your cheek right now." The couple laugh happily until Yukari starts frowning with worry.

"Oh…! Um..." Minato leans in.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

"Uh… Alright, be honest… I… eat more than a normal girl, huh?" There's a brief pause before Minato starts bursting out laughing, to Yukari's annoyance.

"Hey! What're you laughing at?!"

"S-Sorry! Really! It's just how you're so worried about something you don't need to be!" Sensing that her boyfriend's about to say something sweet to make her feel great, she immediately puts on a smile.

"Yuka, you're totally fine! I mean, look at you. You eat more than normal girls, but you're still as curvy as a vase. I say you have a healthy appetite." Yukari sighs and looks to Koromaru.

"Do you hear this kid? It's like he's the king of sweet things to say." Koromaru barks happily.

"Besides… to tell the truth... I don't mind you gaining a little extra weight… as long as it's in the right place... " Yukari cocks an eyebrow.

"Right place? Where?" She notices how his eyes are angled down a bit, straight at her chest. She smirks and tosses a napkin at his face as Koro licks the food that slipped off his plate and onto the floor.

xxx

Next, the couple and the dog made their way to Paulownia Mall, with Minato claiming his role as leader to take them to the rumored ice cream shop.

They get in line in front of the store and Yukari examines the sign.

"Minus Cream?" she read. Minato nods.

"Yep. Opened up… last month, I think."

"Have you been here yet?" Minato shakes his head and looks to her.

"I wanted to wait til we could go together."

"So, what's so special about this ice cream place again?"

"I just heard the rumor, but apparently- Oh! We're up!" The couple walk up to the counter and Koromaru sniff sniffs the mist rolling off the counter, which causes him to sneeze.

"Hiya there! What can I get for you two today?" the clerk asks. Minato and Yukari search the menu. Minato goes first.

"Okay. I'll have... the Ultra Choco Mint Cluster."

"I'll have… the Sub-Z Strawberry Sundae." The clerk nods and readies his tools.

"Awright, comin' right up!" As soon as the sauce hits the steel bowls, Minato leans in to watch, Yukari following suit in curiosity.

"Whatcha doin?" She asks.

"Y'know what liquid nitrogen is, right?"

"Um… I think… it's that liquid that has the same boiling and freezing point, right?" Minato points at the nozzle the clerk picks up.

"Right. Now, watch this." Yukari keeps her eyes on the clerk's hands. Her eyes widen he slowly mixes liquid nitrogen with the sauce and it turns into a thick cold creamy texture.

"That! Is! Crazy!"

"I know, right?! They use this stuff to freeze the sauce super quick and make the ice cream. Right in front of the customers!"

"Uh huh! That's our whole gimmick!" The clerk says. "Dessert and a show! We want our customers to love our ice cream in more ways than just one. Enjoy seeing it made and eating it!" It took about three minutes or so for their orders to be ready. The clerk puts the two in separate spherical containers, then steps up to the cash register.

"All set! That'll be 1,250 yen!" Minato pulls out his wallet while Yukari takes their orders. She notices Koromaru staring intently at their ice cream, tail wagging, and shakes her head.

"Sorry, boy. Ice cream's very poisonous to dogs." Koromaru's ears drop and he whines. Minato finishes paying the clerk, Yukari hands him his ice cream, and they dig in. Yukari's face lights up.

"Whoa! This tastes really good!" she exclaims.

"Science tastes really good!"

"You sound like a total nerd."

"He-lloooo? Smartest junior in Gekkoukan talking!" The two laugh as they walk off, the manly albino Shiba Inu padding behind them.

xxx

Yukari wanted to make a slight fashion detour, so she dragged Minato into The Be Blue V accessory shop to browse.

"Sorry for dragging you in here," she says. "I know it bores you out of your mind." Minato shakes his head.

"It's never boring seeing you smile. And you don't do it more than when you're going fashion crazy."

"He he he… Well… that's not completely true…"

"Really? Then tell me, Yukari Takeba, when do you smile the most?" Yukari refuses to look at her boyfriend as her face glows pink.

"Not saying out loud, stupid."

"Speaking of fashion… you're wearing green today?" Yukari didn't walk out of dorm with her usual pink jacket. Instead, she threw on a frilly light green sweater and beige pants.

"Oh yeah. Is it weird that I'm not wearing any pink today?"

"Eh, kinda. You still look good though." Yukari nods as she thoroughly scans the jewelry counter until something catches her eye.

"Oh! This pink diamond is so cute!" Minato leans in to examine the ring bearing said diamond.

"I think it'd look perfect on your finger," he chuckles.

"You think so? Let's see how much it is." Minato smirks.

"I bet however much yen to costs it's gonna be-"

"Ohhhhhhh! My! Gosh!" Minato looks at the price tag… With the amount of zeros it had on it, she had every right to shout.

"Ye-ahhhhh- Not in this decade." Yukari slumps and sighs.

"And with that heartbreak, we're done here." As she waddles away in sadness, Minato kneels down to pet Koromaru with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Well, now I know what I'mgetting her for our anniversary, don't I?" Koromaru barks.

xxx

The two make it to Chegall Cafe. They sit at a booth and, at Yukari's request, they both order the Pheromone Coffee. Though it weirded him out a bit, considering the drinks weird effects, but he knew there was no way he could say no to a request so small.

As Minato feeds Koromaru some of his treats, Yukari notices the elephant in the room.

"Hey… doesn't this place seem like it's packed with couples today?" Minato looks up and immediately sees what she's talking about. The couple behavior was easily recognizable to him, considering that he and Yukari act that way, mostly in private.

"Ah! I see… Well, I don't think any students from our school'll notice us since we blend in." Yukari shrugs and looks at her mug.

"What do you think they put in this coffee to make it do what it does?" Minato scratches his head to think it over… but comes up with nothing.

"No clue. Not a single idea." Yukari nods in satisfaction.

"I was just curious cuz I've been drinking it a lot lately and the girls at my club say I've gotten cuter." Minato smirks at her.

"The cutest girl in the world get cuter?! I don't think I could take it!" Yukari gives Minato a quick peck on his cheek and lays her head on his shoulder. Minato looks back at Koromaru.

"Hey, Koro. You have your eyes on anyone?" Koromaru tilts his head, as if he doesn't know what he's talking about.

"C'mon! You know! Like… is there a girl dog you like or somethin'?" Koromaru lets out a "yipe!", whimpers, pads around in a circle, and scratches himself in embarrassment. Yukari laughs.

"Ahahahaha! I don't think he's comfortable answering that question!"

"Alright, alright. Nevermind."

xxx

Finally, the couple and the dog make it to their last stop of the day: The Naganaki Shrine, Koromaru's old home.

Koromaru frolics happily around the shrine grounds. Minato and Yukari nod at each other and Minato takes out the tennis ball.

"Hey, Koro?! Come and get it" Koromaru turns around, sees the ball, and immediately chases after Minato as he taunts him with the ball.

"Yuka!" Koromaru follows the ball as Minato tosses it over to Yukari, who happily taunts him with it.

"You want the ball, Koro-chan?! You want the ball?!" She then tosses it back over to Minato. The three continued their game of Monkey-in-the-Middle, or in this case "dog", until Koromaru managed to snatch the ball before Yukari could catch it. She gives him a good petting as a reward.

"Oh! Good dog!" Minato walks over with the last patty he had. Koromaru pads over and drops the ball so that he can eat his treat.

Minato and Yukari quietly sit down on a nearby bench and take turns playing catch with Koromaru.

"Hey… today was fun, right?" Minato asks with concern in his voice as he tossed the ball.

"Of course it was! Think it might've been one of our best ever." Yukari tosses the ball.

"Hm… I wonder how much that really means." Minato's turn.

"Ha ha! What's that supposed to mean?" Yukari's turn.

"Well… I'm not very good at planning dates. We just go to the same places over and over again. I'm not very spontaneous. I dunno… I guess some part of me is afraid that… you'll get tired of me one day." Yukari lightly bonks him on his head after he tosses the ball.

"Remember the three magic words I said to you when I snuck you into my room? I love you. Now that I've said that, I'm not allowed to get tired of you." Yukari blushes as she tosses the ball.

"Yuka…" That's all Minato says before tossing the ball.

"You helped me so much with so many things without asking for anything in return. You've always been there for me and I couldn't be more grateful. So to hell with you not being good with planning dates or not being spontaneous. I'm here for you too, now and forever, so don't forget that, 'kay?" Minato pulls her in for a kiss after she tosses the ball.

"You really are the greatest thing that ever happened to me… ya know that?" Yukari blushes and giggles. In the middle of their face nuzzling, Koromaru hops onto their laps and starts licking them both, which made them both laugh.

"EEK! AH HA HA HA HA! H-HEY! K-KORO-CHA-HA HA HA HA! THAT TICKLEEEEES! STO-HA HA HA HA HAP!"

"HA HA HA HA HA! Y-YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO RUIN A MOME-HE-HE-HE-HE!"

That day went to the dogs… in a good way.

Extra Story: End