AN: I got back to back 50 hour work weeks so shit went by slow. I think I got better at this. Slightly.

Last Edited: 08/23/16, Cringy typo galore.

The Lover and the Fool

"You've prevailed yet again."

Minato groaned as he opened his heavy eyelids to address the intruder.

"Can't you just leave a note or something?" Minato whined.

The boy ignored him and continued, "Do you remember what I said before? About everything coming to an end? Well, I recalled something else."

He propped himself up on Minato's desk and relaxed his posture.

"I'm fairly certain that the end is inevitable. But, it's funny… It doesn't seem so certain, considering the vast potential within you. As a matter of fact, your power seems to have changed quite a bit," he said.

Minato stared at the kid blankly. His adderall tablet had worn off long ago and he wasn't in the mood to listen to cryptic bullshit.

The kid took his silence as his cue to speak, "Hey, if you don't mind, can I be your friend? I'm very curious about you… Is that okay?"

Good god Minato, you leave the academy for two months and now you're getting close to ghosts. Fuck it, if you can fight sentient tables you can become friends with this kid.

"Fine by me," Minato yawned.

The kid smiled.

"Then, from now on, we'll be friends. My name is...Pharos. You may call me that if you wish," he said.

"Pharos, got it. I'd like to savor my sleep tonight, if you don't mind," Minato deadpanned.

Minato looked at the suit clad man incredulously. The last time he'd seen him he tried to solicit 40,000 yen for some vague investment plan. Minato wasn't interested in handing out Kirijo dollars so callously and had politely declined the man's offer.

"I insist. Opportunities like this should not be squandered. I would've kissed the feet of anyone who made me such a lucrative offer when I started out in business," said the Businessman.

Minato sighed and brushed past him.

The man's face contorted in anger as if he was being ignored by a mere pleb.

"Why you little-! I'm not some salaryman making sales right now! Even a moron like you would be able to recognize the fabulous Tanaka!" He yelled.

Minato shrugged. "Never heard of you."

"Damn it! I just gave away my identity to this brat! I can't have my image get tarred by this!" Tanaka whispered to himself.

"Excuse me?" Minato asked as he turned on his heel.

"Shit, he heard that!?" Tanaka muttered out.

He cleared his throat and held out a hand. "I'm President Tanaka. I was out here for scouting talent. You see, we're interested in hiring stunning young men such as yourself to advertise our products. Surely you're eager to sign on, aren't you?"

"Not in the slightest," Minato deadpanned as he looked at his outstretched hand. He wasn't gonna join a pyramid scheme today.

Tanaka's left eye twitched as he tried to compose himself.

"Kid, part of making it big is knowing when to walk. You made a good call opting out of my investment scheme, but I just made you an offer for legitimate employment. Dental, sick days, Roth 401k, all the bells and whistles," Tanaka explained.

Minato grimaced. Shit, well there goes that I guess.

"That's the problem with you teens. You think you're valuable and try to play hard ball during an interview. Truth is you're more expendable than you think. Here, sit down and I'll explain how the world works," Tanaka offered.

Minato shook the man's hand and sat down next to him on the bench.

*crash*

"I art thou.

Thou art I.

Thou shalt have our blessing when thou chooseth to summon a Persona of the Devil Arcana."

Minato smirked as the man began to drone on about finance. How fitting.

"That's why most businesses shut down. People start them because they're lovestruck morons who wanna turn a profit from their hobbies. A business that's based on a hobby is almost always guaranteed to fail. Do you know why?" Tanaka asked.

Minato shrugged.

"Because they think it'll be 'fun'. They're morons of the highest degree. Being a business owner isn't fun, it's just less annoying and irritating than having a normal job," Tanaka explained.

He scowled and crossed his arms.

"Let me be clear, people who go into business to start a 'doll shop' or become a 'food critic' are not serious entrepreneurs. They're lazy people who naively think that starting a business is an easy out and doesn't take a lot of effort," Tanaka ranted.

Minato propped his tired head on his hand as he nodded absentmindedly. "Uh-huh..."

Tanaka chuckled and pat him on the shoulder.

"I like you kid. You're so green to all of this. Give me a month and I'll make a wolf out of you."

He passed him a business card.

"Here, now you're officially acquainted to someone important. I spend my downtime here in the afternoons. Come visit me if you want to learn more about how the world works," he offered.

Minato offered him a curt nod. "Will do."

"And ah... D-Don't go around spreading rumors that I tried to scam you! I can have you sued for slander, ya know!" Tanaka blurted out.

Minato sighed before looking the businessman in the eye.

"Wasn't planning on it," he said.

"Good, good. A verbal agreement is a binding contract and can be enforced in a court of law! Don't forget that!" Tanaka yelled as the teen walked away.

Akihiko sat quietly on Mitsuru's sofa as she droned on about logistics. Why he ever agreed to these "officer meetings" was beyond him.

"-orrow. These funds must be allocated on a basis of need. Minato, you have the most frontline experience. What's our most pressing need?" Mitsuru asked.

The junior rubbed his chin in thought before muttering, "...Armor."

Mitsuru looked at the teen in surprise. "Hm? Are you certain? I was under the impression that we were fine in that department. Sans Akihiko, of course."

"We had an amputation and two severe lacerations with our current gear. It's time to upgrade," he said matter-of-factly.

"Agreed. And please don't stick me in some bulky suit again. I need to be flexible if I wanna keep my limbs attached," Akihiko added.

"You're an interesting case, Akihiko. Outside of electricity, everything is a threat to you," Mitsuru observed.

"I do alright..." He grumbled.

She had a point. He was supposed to be a frontline fighter. His strength and skill was leagues beyond the rest of them, yet he was finding himself limping back to the lobby more often than not.

"Of course. I was just trying to brainstorm some possible solutions for you. Lightweight, heat resistant, wind resistant, ice resistant, puncture resistant, flexible, and affordable armor is a challenging proposition," she said.

"Kevlar covers...and a jacket?" Minato suggested.

"A fire resistant jacket? Where the hell are we gonna find that? A firestation?" Akihiko asked.

Minato shrugged. "There's plenty of treated cotton jackets out there. You could probably get a cheap one at a work uniform supplier."

"Alright, I think that works. I can get the kevlar coveralls from the Kirijo Group. We use them for our electricians whenever a site needs maintenance," Mitsuru noted.

"Kevlar? For electrical work? You sure it's not cotton?" Minato asked.

Mitsuru nodded as she jotted down notes on her laptop. "I'm certain. Otherwise we've been paying 70,000 yen per suit for sub-par materials."

"Huh. Okay, that'll do nicely then," he said.

Akihiko motioned towards them. "What about you two? Junpei and Yukari rarely get injured... Actually, scratch that. Junpei and Yukari rarely get injured from direct attacks, so we can leave their gear for another time."

Minato traced a finger along his femoral artery.

"Leg protection would be nice. Preferably soft armor; I'm not looking to lose my cartilage just yet," he said dryly.

"...Is ceramic fine? Kurosawa-san has some leg plates in stock, if I remember correctly," she offered.

He frowned before nodding begrudgingly.

"Alright, I think that wraps this up for today," she announced.

"Huh? You're not getting anything?" Akihiko asked.

She sighed. "I'm afraid we only have 200,000 yen to work with. I'll just use your old plate carrier for now."

"You sure? That's twelve kilos you're gonna have to lug around," Minato warned.

Akihiko looked at the teen knowingly. They'd both been stuck with the heavy, suffocating ceramic plates. He gave Mitsuru a week before she switched to something more lightweight.

"I'm sure," she affirmed.

"We strapped for cash? With the way you've been treating us to lunch I'd have never guessed," Minato said.

"It's one thing for catering bills to show up on a woman's credit card, but highly illegal armor and ammunition? I need to keep clean records for our sake and that of the Kirijo Group. Laundered money is our only resource outside of what we find in Tartarus," she explained.

"So on paper SEES is rich, but in practice we're stuck with whatever the National Tax Agency can't hold against us?" Minato asked for clarification.

She nodded. "Correct."

"Alright, guess we'll just tighten our belts for now then. I'll have my team double their efforts at scavenging," he said.

Mitsuru smiled and shook her head. "You work them hard enough as is. Trust your senpai and leave the financing to us."

"Us? I ain't loaded with tech money," Akihiko pointed out.

She grinned devilishly. "You're in calculus AB, are you not? I just so happen to need a capable assistant for my accounting."

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Hehe, nice one Mitsuru."

She stared at him intently as he shifted awkwardly.

"...You're serious, aren't you?"

Minato was buried into his field manual as he tried to etch the elaborate firing positions into his head. The previous barricade they'd encountered had disappeared according to Elizabeth. How she had his number, or any service, was beyond him. Regardless, he needed to be at peak performance to minimize their inevitable injuries.

Might not have too many of those anytime soon, though.

Their new armor had arrived after all. It wasn't perfect, far from it, but they should be significantly harder to injure now.

Who's to say the new floor won't have stronger Shadow's to match our defenses?

This was quickly turning into an arms race between humanity's feats of engineering and chemistry versus the sheer mystical power of the Shadows.

He'd have to consult with Mitsuru for future armor ideas. Outside of PASGT, IBA, and MTV rigs, he couldn't think of anything else.

Not that I want to wear any of those sixteen kilo furnaces.

He put the thought aside and idly flipped through another page of his field manual. Minato spared a glance at the door as he waited anxiously for Junpei to return from Kendo practice. The teen had been vehemently against the idea at first, but with enough coaxing and icy glares, Mitsuru finally managed to convince him to enroll.

After what felt like hours, the lobby door finally creaked open and revealed the sweaty junior.

"Enjoy your first day?" Minato asked.

Junpei tossed his gym bag to the ground and claimed the armchair. He fanned himself with his ballcap and plucked at his sweat stained collar as he relaxed into the cushion.

"Hell no! It was 34 degrees in the practice room and the AC went out," Junpei grumbled.

"Been in that situation waaay too many times," Minato sympathized.

Junpei nodded lazily. "Yeah, man. Screw this heat."

"On the plus side, I actually picked up a few tricks today. I'm kinda lookin' forward to going back to Tartarus and trying 'em out," he said.

Minato closed his field manual and did his best to look casual. "That mean you're up for Tartarus tonight? The old barricade is gone."

Junpei tilted his head. "Wha-? How the hell do you know?"

Minato's brain scrambled for a reasonable explanation.

"I um… I just do, alright? Remember last month? This is right around the time the other barricade disappeared," Minato explained.

"Uh-huh…" Junpei hummed skeptically.

A few seconds passed before the capped teen made his decision.

"If the others get on board, I'm down. I honestly got nothin' better to do on a Saturday," he said.

Minato suppressed a fist pump and nodded plainly. "Alright, I'll rally the team. Check out the armory. I got something new for you."

Junpei ascended the stairs to the next level of Tartarus. Akihiko and Mitsuru flanked him while their ranged fighters took the rear.

He unsheathed his Miao Dao and chewed nervously on his stick of gum. He'd gotten better at calming his nerves these past few months. Sure, he wasn't ecstatic about combat like Akihiko, but he could keep himself together. Somewhat.

How the hell do I not have anything better to do on a Saturday night?

The 1.2 meter blade in his hands steeled his resolve as heroic imagery filled his head. He wasn't geared out in Samurai armor and wielding a hand crafted Katana, but the Chinese sabre and zylon vest would have to do for now. A rag-tag hero is still a hero after all. Hell, he could probably stop by the home economics room and get himself a cape if he wanted...

Junpei tossed the thought aside and scanned his surroundings as he reached the top of the staircase. The new floor was a near carbon copy of the one's they'd fought through last week. The same purple hue covered the tiles and ornate walls. Carved faces and demons decorated the halls as a seemingly infinite supply of crimson blood flowed from the ceiling.

"Creepy…" Yukari whispered.

He nodded in agreement and tightened his grip on the saber. The blank marble faces glared lifelessly at him as he squinted at the darkness in the distance. He looked away from the eerie carvings and turned to Minato expectantly.

The teen brandished his shotgun and scanned the dark halls surrounding them.

"Fuuka, you see anything important?" Minato asked.

"There's two groups of shadows… about 30 meters away on your right side...and 50 meters directly in front of you," she informed.

"Understood," he replied robotically before turning to face them.

"Junpei, take out the Shadow to our right with Sanada and Kirijo-senpai. Yukari and I will scout the hallway to our left and rendezvous with you once you're done," he instructed.

Junpei gave a short nod and followed Akihiko as he led the way. He wasn't a fan of being bossed around by the junior, but if he got to kick some serious ass with his senpai... Well, he could get used to it.

The trio wandered around the dimly lit halls, stopping only to get directions from Fuuka.

Junpei popped another stick of gum into his mouth as he endured the heavy silence. He didn't do "quiet". He needed noise to ease his nerves. Be it conversation on the train ride to school or leaving his TV on at night, there had to be something going on.

"So...Who's in charge?" He asked out of the blue.

Akihiko wasted no time in answering as he turned around to face him.

"I have the most experience out of all of us, so I'll take the reigns," he declared.

As if to accentuate the point, he rested a hand on his evoker and stood erect.

The temperature of the hall dropped as Mitsuru stared down the boxer.

"Excuse me, lieutenant?" She warned.

"Wh-What? You seriously gonna pull that rank crap on me?" Akihiko stammered.

"I like it. It lets us know who calls the shots in situations like this," she stated in a tone that oozed authority.

"Yeah, because you're the defacto leader under that system..." He grumbled.

"I didn't choose to be your 'general'. I was given the title and the responsibilities by a capable third party," she pointed out.

He bit his lip before nodding reluctantly.

"Fine. I'll defer to you. Just...don't push yourself, okay? You've only been back in the game for two weeks," he reminded.

"I'll be fine, Akihiko," she assured.

It became apparent to the two seniors that their third member was standing uncomfortably beside them. Junpei hid behind his ballcap and swayed restlessly with his hands in his pockets as they had their stand off.

"My apologies, Iori. You shouldn't have to see that," she said.

She motioned to the darkness in the distance. "Shall we get moving?"

They traveled slowly and methodically until Fuuka gave them a warning.

"It's five meters to your left. You see it, senpai?"

Mitsuru squinted at the dark hallway fruitlessly before replying, "I don't have a visual."

"It's there, senpai. I'm sure of it," she assured.

Junpei pressed his evoker against his temple and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Need a light, senpai?" He giggled out.

She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Go for it."

Hermes emerged above them and coated the dark hall with bright orange flames. Pained screeches quickly followed as two large humanoid Shadows bolted out of the flames. The three meter tall strongmen split up and reeled their fists back to flatten the teens.

"They're weak to electricity!" Fuuka quickly informed.

Akihiko weaved away from the Shadow's fist and struck it down with a zio spell. The giant twitched violently as it's neurons were frenzied by the sudden influx of impulses. He pelted the Shadow with zio spell after zio spell until it's movements ceased altogether.

He turned on his heel to aid the others, only to find a still cadaver with several icicles protruding from its skull. Junpei was sprawled out next to it on the tile floor. The teen gave a tired groan as he forced himself back on his feet.

Mitsuru gave him a hand and hoisted him to his feet. "Are you alright, Iori?"

He nodded. "Ngh... Yeah, I'm good. The vest soaked most of it up."

Akihiko was about to crack a joke when he suddenly noticed just how dry his throat was. He wiped the sweat that coated his brow before chugging down half of his canteen. His damp coveralls clung tightly to his skin as the jacket around his torso starved his flesh of oxygen. With a few frustrated tugs, he ripped the offending cloth away and basked in the cool breeze that flowed through the hall.

Mitsuru glared at him in disapproval. "Akihiko..."

He frowned and begrudgingly put the jacket back on.

"C'mon, it's not like we're gonna get hit by ic-"

A grapefruit sized block of ice struck his chest and exploded into a cloud of shrapnel. His dense jacket insulated him from the frigid blast as his kevlar coveralls repelled the icy shards.

Mitsuru stepped in to shield him while Junpei scorched the offending shadows. A bright flash of orange appeared before the black blobs were reduced to steaming ooze.

"You were saying?" She taunted.

Junpei snickered as he stowed his evoker and helped brush off the shards of ice coating the boxer.

Akihiko sighed and hung his head. "...Point taken."

Yukari groaned as they hit another dead end. The hallway had been deceptively large, and if it hadn't been for Fuuka they would've probably gotten lost on the way back. Minato went on without her as he scanned one of the unexplored halls. She would've jogged over to join him had it not been for the sack of bricks she was stuck lugging around.

The growing power of Io had allowed her some reprieve by removing the need for her bulky medical kit, but that weight had been quickly replaced by bottled water and rations. Mitsuru had taken to logging the amount of food and water that they normally burned through. A wise practice indeed. If you weren't the one stuck lugging around two liters of water...

She couldn't complain. Minato was carrying damn near double her load and he never whined about his back.

Doesn't make the scoliosis any easier to accept though.

She tightened the straps of her ruck before picking up the pace and catching up to Minato.

The teen jumped in place and jerked his head at the sudden movement before sighing in relief at the sight of her.

"S-Sorry, I'm just jumpy right now. Something about this floor seems off," he said.

"Yeah… it's usually a bit more crowded. Kinda weird that there's only two groups of Shadows…" She mused.

He nodded sagely before leaning in close and grinning.

"I might not be as cute when I get jolted, but I think that makes us even now," he teased.

You sonuvabitch!

Yukari cringed at the reminder. "Ugh, just when I thought I had that memory repressed…"

"It was absolutely adorable," he affirmed.

Yukari's cheeks tinged red as she glared at the teen.

"Kill yourself," she huffed out.

He knew that he was pushing her buttons. He had to know. And she was absolutely hating him for it right now.

Minato snickered and pressed his evoker to his head.

"As you wish," he said with a bow.

Fuuka's gentle voice interrupted them. "Umm… Minato-kun?"

"Y-Yes?" He replied as he awkwardly holstered his evoker.

Yukari giggled at his sudden change of tone and stuck her tongue out.

"Now that's just plain fucking cute," he whispered as Fuuka debriefed him.

Her blush returned in full force as his comment registered. She elbowed his chest and instantly regretted her decision. Her bone struck the hard ceramic plating before bouncing off harmlessly. She winced and rubbed her elbow as Minato swallowed his laughter.

"-ijo-senpai's team defeated the all Shadows on this floor. They're waiting on you now," Fuuka informed.

Minato nodded in approval. "All of them? Huh. Alright, we'll make our way there."

He turned to face her.

"...What?"

She pouted. "I'm not cute."

Minato put on his poker face and stood at parade rest.

"Hm? I'm not sure I follow, Takeba-san. Let's focus on the task at hand," he deadpanned.

"You're one stunt away from not getting healed, Minato," she warned.

He quickly dropped the act and offered her a short bow. "L-Lets get going..."

Mitsuru swallowed dryly as she stared at the three hulking beetles blocking their path. Their ornate gold and purple chitin gave them an aura of nobility as they stared blankly back at her.

Doesn't make them less intimidating...

She had to give her team credit; they all seemed eager and ready to fight. Her early days hadn't been anywhere near as graceful, not that she'd ever admit it.

She gripped her rapier tightly and adjusted her cap before taking a deep breath to compose herself. It had been a while since she'd had to fight a formidable Shadow. Her heart raced as an even mix of adrenaline and fear flowed through her. The cocktail of chemicals was intoxicating. The brutal dryness of her managerial lifestyle had left her yearning for an escape, and the rush of combat was just what she needed right now.

All eyes fell on her as they awaited orders. Had this been three months ago she would've been barking out instructions left and right, but perhaps it was time for her to step back from that role…

"Arisato, I'm entrusting our tactics to you. Use your best judgement," she said.

The teen gave her a surprised look before nodding and dragging his team around to better suited positions. A prideful smile made it's way to her face as she watched the young tactician at work. She'd invested a lot into him, and it seemed that her dividends had finally come. Gone were the shaky hands and uncertain eyes. With a bit of motivation the teen had turned out to be a fine leader.

Maybe a better leader than me.

He broke her out of her thought as he hauled her off along with the other melee fighters into a neat triangle up front and close to the Shadows.

Her heart fluttered as she stared down the insects. Her persona had been restless from its reconnaissance role and was eager to kill. Fear gave way to giddy excitement as the time drew near. Penthesilea was yearning to be used and wanted out now. She took in a deep breath to focus her mind. While the added martial prowess of a restless persona was certainly an asset, the consequences for letting it take over were devastating.

Aragaki…

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes on the Shadows ahead. Now wasn't the time to reflect on the past.

The trio of beetles towered over them as Minato finalized his plans. Gone was the friendly banter they'd shared on the way to the 47th floor as the teen took on a clinical tone.

"Yamagishi, scan them for weaknesses. Sans any intel, we'll just try a bit of everything on the center target in quick succession. Iori, use agi. If that fails, try your blade out. Sanada, use zio. Don't bother punching them. Kirijo, use bufu. Takeba, use Garu. Got it?" He droned out.

"Affirmative. We'll make short work of them," Mitsuru replied.

Akihiko shared a confident grin with the team as he pressed the cold barrel of his evoker against his temple. She admired the boxer's courage. He may have a tendency to run in swinging, but beneath that all raw strength was a cool and calculating mind.

"Hmm… It looks like they're weak to electricity. I don't think piercing attacks will be very effective though…" Fuuka informed.

Mitsuru heard Minato snicker as he received the information.

"Something funny, Arisato?" She asked.

The field leader slung his shotgun over his shoulder in favor of his Mauser. He dug into his plate carrier and waved a clip of ammo with distinct black tips at the end of the bullets.

"It's kinda ironic. Of all the ammo Kurosawa-san could've sent, he gave me armor piercing rounds. I don't know if these'll ignore their resistance or end up doing nothing," he said.

"Worth a shot," Yukari chimed in.

Minato nodded and slid the clip into the Mauser's magazine before gently sliding the bolt back.

"Change of plans. Akihiko and I will knock 'em down, you guys finish them off," he said as he flipped off the safety.

The two teens shared a look before firing their evokers in unison.

Three bolts of lightning rang out from Polydeuces' mazio attack. The bolts burnt through the tough chitin of the beetles before sending them into a fit of spasms. Minato's own mazio spell followed shortly after. The electricity struck their downed forms and brought their exoskeletons to their boiling point. The polysaccharide armor caramelized away, revealing the light pink muscles underneath.

Mitsuru wasted no time as she dug her rapier into the exposed flesh of the nearest beetle. Her free hand wrapped around her evoker and she summoned her persona to finish the job. A sharp shard of ice began to form inside her rapier's wound channel and quickly swelled in size before exploding into icy shrapnel. The Shadow gave a pained gurgle as it collapsed down to the ground and ceased its movements.

Junpei took note from the senior and followed suit. He aimed his sabre at the seam of the arthropod's armored skull before plunging the tip as deep as his muscles would allow him. With a strained grunt he peeled away the burnt chitin and revealed the beetle's soft epidermis. As if on cue, an arrow sank into the Shadow's soft tissue and put it down for good. Junpei offered Yukari a thumbs up as he kicked the creature for good measure.

A loud shot rang out and the smell of gunpowder began to overwhelm the acrid scent of burnt chitin. Junpei snapped his head to find the last beetle slumped to the ground with it's head split like a melon. Yellow blood caked the surrounding tile in a neat arc as the corpse slowly reduced down to black ichor.

"I think the armor piercing rounds worked," Minato quipped as he rubbed his sore shoulder.

Yukari greedily scarfed down her ramen. She didn't give a shit that they'd butchered a few four meter long arthropods half an hour ago, her body needed calories now. Junpei shared her enthusiasm as he served himself another serving.

"Yo, Mitsuru-senpai, how'd we do?" Junpei asked between mouthfuls.

The senior looked up at him with tired eyes as she set down her bowl. The ceramic plate carrier had sapped away her usual energy with its cruel weight.

"Bien au-delà de mes attentes," she said softly with a satisfied nod.

"I concur. We steamrolled through those floors with all our limbs intact. This has to be a new record for us," Akihiko commented.

Minato bowed his head slightly for the seniors. "Merci."

Junpei groaned. "Huh…? Don't tell me you speak French too…"

Mitsuru smiled. "I'm glad you've taken the time to understand a new language, Minato-kun."

The field leader rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Uh...thanks."

Yukari noticed the worried expression on Minato's face and leaned in close to the teen.

"Something wrong?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"I… I don't know what the hell Mitsuru said. I just assumed it was a compliment," he admitted.

Junpei turned his head towards the whispering duo.

"Hey, what's with all the secrecy? We're a team, right? If you got good dirt you should share it," he said.

"The only good dirt I have is your browser history. Use crtl + shift + n more often," Minato deadpanned.

A faint blush appeared on Junpei's cheeks as he hid behind the bill of his cap.

"...That's a low blow, dude," he whispered.

"There's plenty of low blowing from what I remember…" Minato mentioned.

Mitsuru tilted her head slightly as she tried to follow along with their banter.

"I'm not sure I follow…" She said.

Yukari rolled her eyes.

"Geez, talk about a sheltered life…" She muttered.

Junpei frantically waved his hands dismissively as the aristocrat attempted to piece together the euphemisms.

"I-It's nothing senpai, j-just guy talk. Right, Minato?" He said with a panicked look in his eyes.

Minato spared the teen and nodded curtly. "Right."

Mitsuru wasn't convinced.

She turned to their resident boxer and asked, "What do you think, Akihiko?"

The senior choked down his laughter and tried to compose himself.

"They're just discussing films," he explained.

Mitsuru fished out her phone.

"Hmm, it's seems that I'm out of the loop… I should research these 'low-blowing' films online then…" She mused.

Akihiko lunged towards the girl and covered the phone's screen with his palm.

"Please don't."

The juniors were sprawled around the lobby after another brutal day of school. Minato had claimed the armchair for himself and was gently tapping his foot to the beat of his MP3 player. The other teens had take over the sofa facing the TV and were bickering over who got control of the remote.

"C'mon, I need to see what deals are on today!" Yukari growled as she tugged on the device.

Junpei shook his head and reeled the remote back towards his chest.

"Nuh-uh, I'm already two episodes behind on this show. I ain't changing shit," he said.

Fuuka timidly interjected, "Perhaps we could find some sort of middl-"

"You can always watch a rerun. I don't have that option!" Yukari interrupted.

Silence filled the room as the two of them held their ground. Fuuka gave up on trying to play the mediator and opted to retreat into the corner of sofa as the two juniors escalated their tug of war over the device. She wrung her hands before mustering the courage to reach over and tap their field leader on the shoulder.

"...Minato-kun?" She whispered.

The teen glanced at her lazily as he slid off a headphone.

"Hm?" He hummed.

She motioned to the two juniors beside her.

"Could you…?" She trailed.

Minato took note of the scene before nodding in understanding.

"Ah. Say no more," he said.

He hung his headphones around his neck and lifted himself off the armchair.

"Yukari-san, get up. We're gonna play chemist for a little bit," he announced.

The brunette kept her iron grip on the remote as she turned to face him.

"...Can it wait?" She asked.

Minato shook his head.

"M'fraid not. If we don't hit the petrol station right now we'll never make it back in time," he explained.

"Nngh… Get Junpei to do it," she groaned.

"C'mon. We'll hit the bakery on the way back. Should be sunset by then. Think of it as a flammable date," he said.

Yukari sighed and released her death grip.

"Fine… prepare your wallet," she warned.

Minato stretched his legs under the small corner booth they'd picked out. He watched the brunette as she picked out something for the two of them.

It began to bother him less and less that he could converse so naturally with the girl, and the rest of SEES for that matter. He still felt a bit anxious without his stoic security blanket. His old measured and calculated responses always provided him with a sense of control over social situations. Not that he really needed that same degree of control now that he wasn't gonna get NJP'd for looking at an NCO the wrong way.

Guess old habits die hard.

He slid on a headphone and tried to relax during this rare quiet moment. The second he got back to the dorm it'd be back to reading books on "charm" and infantry tactics. It was either that or watching horror films with the lights off to see just how big a pussy he was.

He frowned. Some cadet he was. Scared of the paranormal, scared of bonding, scared of going to Tartarus… How his fosters thought he'd make a good soldier was beyond him.

"Since you insisted on 'low-budget', I got us these."

He looked up to see Yukari holding a small platter of scones.

"I get wanting to save money, but 700 yen?" She said as she slid into the booth.

He shrugged. "You did say, 'prepare your wallet'..."

She raised an eyebrow at that. "So you brought less?"

"...You know I don't like spending," he mumbled.

Unless it's for your precious dextroamphetamines you fucking hypocrite.

She rolled her eyes and got started on a scone.

He couldn't help but gaze at the brunette. She was beginning to give off a strange aura, similar to that of his social links. It was faint, but it was there alright.

A dull pain radiated across his frontal lobe as Narcissus began to chastise him. His language was foreign to him, but the tone let him know that he wasn't happy. He'd hear his Personas say something from time to time. Usually they'd let out an animalistic noise or a victory cheer after a successful battle. He never thought much of it until now.

The lovers Persona was pissed at something he did, and he was trying his damndest to ensure he wouldn't be ignored. That much was obvious to him.

Why though? Why Narcissus?

He looked at the brunette in front of him once again.

Pink Cardigan. Heart shaped choker. A lovers arcana Persona… Holy shit, I'm actually retarded. Yukari's my 'lovers' social link! Aww shit, is Narcissus mad that I didn't splurge on her?

Minato coughed awkwardly as he broke the silence.

"...Sorry about that. I'll see about taking you somewhere nicer some other time," he apologized.

"You still owe me for that shit on Saturday, 'kay?"

"Yeah, yeah..." he grumbled.

"Anyways, I didn't invite you here to enjoy the local cuisine. You wanted Kirijo information? I got some. Consider it part of my payback for that Tartarus op," he said.

Yukari nodded and leaned in. "This better be good, then."

"Yeah, sort of. Ikutsuki-san mentioned previous attempts at fighting the shadows. Stuff that pre-dates our membership. I know from Mitsuru that the Kirijo Group hierarchy is well aware of us and the Shadows."

"Huh… Could he have meant the original SEES? It was made up of Mitsuru and Akihiko senpai," she recalled.

"Actually, come to think of it, they had some third member they never talked about," she added.

"More importantly, if he wasn't talking about the original member roster then how long has the Kirijo group known about this? Ikutsuki-san said they've been fighting the Shadows for 'quite some time'. Is that a year? A decade? If so, then why have we managed to beat out an international corporation's efforts in just three months?" He pondered.

"That's exactly it! We don't know what they've been up to. Any R&D labs that I tried to look up prior to 2000 are non-existent. We know that can't be the case since they did release new products back then," she pointed out.

"Hmm. I'll do what I can to find out more. I don't really care about their ethics or their past as long as they're bankrolling us, but…"

Yukari looked taken aback by his statement.

"But what?" She prodded.

"We need to see their research on the shadows. I asked Mitsuru for a copy over a month ago and haven't heard back since. It's imperative that we fully understand what we're up against, especially if they want us to risk our lives for their cause," he said.

"Tsk. And their ethics don't matter?" She nagged.

He shrugged. "Depends on their results."

"Seriously? It doesn't bother you how they reach those results?" She asked incredulously.

"It bothers me. I just don't get hung up on it," he clarified.

"Huh..." She mused.

"I think we'll have to agree to disagree," he said.

Yukari nodded and turned her attention back to the pastries in front of them.

"...Anyways, enough philosophy. I missed my show over these and by god am I gonna eat them!"

The duo returned to dorm to find the kitchen in disarray. The scent of burnt food wafted over to them as Fuuka scrubbed a pot vigorously. Foreign black sludge filled its interior and refused to budge from its domain.

"Good god…" Minato muttered under his breath.

Junpei jogged over to the crime scene with sterile wipes in hand. He froze when he spotted the two of them in the lobby.

"I uh… I can explain," Junpei sputtered out.

Minato shook his head and waved him off.

"I'm gonna pretend that I never saw this. Yukari and I will get petrol bombs ready for our next operation. Have this dealt with by the time we get back," Minato instructed.

"WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE RICE!" They heard Junpei yell as they walked up the stairs.

The two juniors were camped out in the dorm's rooftop as the sun began to set over Iwatodai. A cool breeze blew in from the surrounding ocean and wafted the pungent smell of petrol away from them.

Yukari sat down on the cool cement and got started on helping her field leader prepare the batch of homemade explosives.

"So…" She trailed.

Minato looked up from the bottle he was preparing. "Hm?"

She wrung her hands and continued, "About the Kirijo Group…"

"Cut to the chase," he said as he returned his focus to the bottle.

"Can you hack them?" She asked.

"There's practically no public data about them outside of their commercial role," she added.

Minato chuckled. "H-Hack them? Man, you must think I'm smart or something."

She frowned at his response and crossed her arms.

"You can't do it?" She asked dejectedly.

"Look, I barely know my way around Kali Linux. I'd be lucky to steal a social media account without getting caught," he said as he topped off another bottle.

She sighed and crammed a rag into her petrol bottle with a little more force than was necessary.

"Ugh, dammit! I don't know how else we're gonna get more information…" She muttered.

Minato mulled over her request. He could hack into one of their devices. Whether it would yield any useful information or jail time was anyone's guess. He didn't really know anyone else into tech except for...

"If you're deadset on hacking… ask Yamagishi," he recommended.

The brunette perked up at that. "Fuuka? You think she can do it?"

"I'm a technician at best. Yamagishi, though… She's a savant compared to me. I've picked up a few tricks on Debian from her," he said.

She offered him an appreciative nod. "Alright, I'll ask her."

They worked in silence for a little while. Each bottle was filled methodically and then stored safely in a metal crate. Yukari finished up her portion before standing up triumphantly.

"I'm all set. You almost done?" She asked.

Minato nodded as his hands made short work of the task.

"Just about...done!" He said as he stored the last makeshift explosive.

Yukari watched the teen as he locked the crate. She'd been wondering why he asked her specifically to accompany her. Was it all just to talk about the Kirijo Group? It seemed plausible... She bit her lip and mustered her courage. She wasn't a dumb freshman girl that would shy away from speaking her mind, dammit! She could be direct.

"Hey... Why me?" She asked softly.

Minato turned around and cocked an eyebrow. "Why you?"

"Yeah, for this. You could've picked Junpei to accompany you," she pointed out.

"To be honest? I wanted to treat you out. I can give you hard time, but I really do appreciate you. Your work is invaluable for our team," he said earnestly.

A smile snuck it's way on to her face as his words registered. "O-Oh. I really wasn't expecting that answer."

"What'd you expect? Something like, 'I wanted to see your mechanical proficiency, Takeba-san'?" He joked.

She nodded. "Yeah, actually."

Minato sighed and shook his head. "Welp, that's one first impression I'll never recover from."

"We should do this again sometime. I don't take enough time to bond with you guys," he said as he swung his coat over his shoulder.

She smiled. "I'd like that."