Minako burst out of her hotel room, a Dr. Salt in one hand, a melon bread in her mouth, and a pair of shoes in her other hand. She couldn't believe it. She, of all people, was actually late. She ran or rather hopped down the hall, all the while clumsily trying to put her shoes on one foot at a time. With one shoe almost on with only her heel still sticking out, she suddenly stopped halfway to the elevator and hopped back to her room, remembering a little important detail. It probably wouldn't be good if she came back to find her room still wide open, already ransacked by burglars. With the door closed and one shoe fully on, she once again started hopping to the elevator, trying to put the other one on.

Somewhere between trying to get her shoe on, keep her drink from spilling, and stop herself from completely biting off a piece of the melon bread and letting it fall, she lost whatever little coordination she had and fell flat on her face, pushing the melon bread further in her mouth and spilling the Dr. Salt all over the carpet. Her situation would probably have been comical to anyone who saw it, especially her annoying uncle who somehow found a way to make a stupid Laffy Taffy joke out of anything she did. The thought only added to her frustrations.

Finally, she just gave in and sat up in the middle of the hallway, straightening her Dr. Salt which thankfully didn't even reach her haphazardly tied hair. She glanced at the spilled contents and furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't know whether to feel bad for the maids or for the wasted contents. Either way it was just a big frustrating mess. She bit the melon bread completely and separated whatever had been pushed into her mouth and whatever still remained outside her mouth. She looked at the dirty piece of bread in her hand before tossing it into the puddle of clear fizzy liquid.

With her cheeks puffed out with food and her three-fourths empty cup standing next to her, she pulled up one knee and started putting her shoes on properly, finding that her right shoe was on her left foot. She sighed as she took it off and placed it on the right foot.

After each shoe was on the correct foot, she just stared at the puddle, chewing the large amount of food in her mouth and trying to bring it down a bit with what little Dr. Salt she had left.

This was the worst. Last night's little adventure took so much out of her that as soon as she returned home, she just fell asleep, and it just so happened that that night her body decided "Hey, I need more than two hours of sleep. Why don't I just take an extra three hours off Minako's life? She wouldn't mind." One day, she'd get revenge on her weakling of a body, but for now, she'll have to settle with the people responsible which would be Mr. Jerkface, Shinjiro, and her two-faced uncle.

And yet, she found herself focusing not on the people she met last night, but on the person who didn't even bother to wake her up. But if you knew her uncle, you would find every little thing he did the most annoying thing ever. She'd bet fifty bucks that he was probably just making breakfast for one at 7:30. He probably even ate it in her room, left the plate in her room, and moved to the adjacent room just to "work." Maybe to all his colleagues and the whole town he seemed to radiate "I've got a heart of gold; what's your problem?", but to her, the only thing that radiated off him was "I have a punchable face; too bad you're not strong enough to do it."

Oh, she'll find someone strong enough to do it. And wouldn't you know it, he just happened to choose that very moment to exit his room right next to hers.

"My, what a mess you've made." he said with a "good-natured" smile as he pushed up his glasses.

She glared at him as he walked down the hall and stopped at the Dr. Salt spill. "A mess… If you keep listening to songs all night you're gonna have Mess Destruction in the morning." Immediately, he launched into a fit of laughter.

"That wasn't funny."

As soon as she said that comment, his laughter stopped, his smile changing immediately into a grimace. "That wasn't very nice. At least the kids in the dorms stay wait until I'm done laughing."

"Then why don't you go hang out with them and ship me to some other relative? Sure would make your life a whole lot easier." Minako spat out as she stood up, wishing she was a few inches taller so her uncle wasn't constantly looking down on her. She hated the way he looked at her as if she was just a mere pawn, not even a human being.

"What is it that you always say? 'You're no fun?'" He adjusted his glasses as Minako's glare intensified. "Now, would you like me to drive you to school or not?"

"I'd rather walk." She crossed her arms as she started walking to the elevator, making sure not to step in the puddle.

"Really now?" Not only did she hate his look but also his tone, as if he was speaking to a child or more accurately a little pet dog. "Would you really want to be all sweaty on your first day? What would the kids think about the perfect athletic little Minako? Why, they'd simply Mina-mize you."

She turned around, to face him, his smiling mouth yet leering eyes. This wasn't fun. "Crack another joke on the way, and I'll punch you in the face."

"Now, now, be nice to your Uncle Ikutsuki."

"Hey, Yuka-tan, did you hear? We're supposed to have a new student in class."

"Don't talk to me, Junpei."

Yukari really was not in the mood for this. With her mom forcing her to go to dinner with the new beau, she wasn't able to finish all of her homework, and worst of all, the one she wasn't able to do was Ekoda's homework. If it were any other class, she would've been fine with just a bad grade, but this was Ekoda's second period class; it wasn't just a bad grade. It was a bad grade and a five minute lecture dedicated to you and only you, and there was no way she was getting that kind of humiliation because of something her mom forced her to do. So at the moment, she was quickly finishing answering the questions of the story she had read on the train ride here.

"C'mon. Don't you want to know who she is? I heard some cool rumors about her."

She grit her teeth and leaned down lower as if that would help her focus more on her homework and less on Junpei.

"Go away, Junpei."

But somehow the words 'Go away' translated in his head as 'Go ahead' because he just told his story anyway with no hesitation.

"Okay, thing is she's been from school to school, and in every school she goes to, something interesting always happens: a mystery case gets solved, the school suddenly goes from average to academic, school gangs dissolve, and people get cured from cancer."

Yukari's resolve to finish her homework before the bell rang waned, quickly being replaced by an insatiable curiosity over one thing he said. She just couldn't stop herself from dropping the pencil, turning to him, and asking the question he wanted her to ask.

"What kind of high school girl can cure cancer?"

Then Junpei gave his lopsided grin which to her looked the same as rubbing his own victory in her face. "This girl can! The boy got a mysterious donor for the operation he didn't even know he needed until he got the call from his doc ten minutes after the money came in!"

She raised one of her eyebrows. "And you actually believe that stuff?"

Junpei chuckled as he took the seat next to hers and leaned back slightly. "Nah, I'm just saying what Kenji said. Would be interesting if that stuff was actually true, but who believes stupid rumors like that?"

"Kenji."

"Hey, hey, Kenji doesn't count. That guy'll believe anything." Junpei looked to the left with a silly grin before looking back at her with a raised eyebrow. Somehow, she was reminded of the rumors Kenji believed about her and Junpei. A laugh escaped. As if Junpei and she would be twins separated at birth.

Junpei laughed with her, both of them laughing together at a poor boy's expense. When the laughter subsided, Junpei's grin switched to a small smile. "You feeling better now?"

Yukari tilted her head.

He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her eyes. "Well, I sorta got an invite from your mom to go on that dinner date, but turns out she texted me the wrong location and the wrong time. Ended up on a date with a giant plastic duck at eleven at night. Saw you this morning looking kinda down."

This time Yukari smiled lopsidedly. He really hadn't changed from the Junpei she used to play with as a kid, still looking for any frown to turn upside down at his own expense-well, in this case, his best friend's, but Kenji honestly didn't mind as long as it cheered up the person too. When you're living a high school life filled with gossiping, two-faced people, it was nice to know that there was still someone genuine around here, not letting silly rumors get to him. Oh, he was still the most annoying person in the world, but he had his sweet moments.

She picked up her pencil and started working on her homework again, a slight smile on her face.

"Go to your seat, Stupei." she muttered.

"What?! Aw, c'mon. I didn't know the boyfriend's preferences. How would I know that the date was actually in some ramen store near Wakatsu?"

Suddenly, the bell rang and Junpei was forced to go back to his desk, wondering how he could fix whatever blunder he made this time, while Yukari just smiled as she opened her binder and book to hide her half-finished homework.

Halfway through the class period, she was beginning to worry whether she'd ever get this whole thing done. She'd been able to answer most of the questions without having to open her literature book, but when she brought out her literature book, her progress considerable slowed down. Not only did she have to move her binder down to hide both the book and the paper, but she also had to turn the page only when the whole class was turning pages. It was just two questions left, but she just couldn't find it. Just when she was about to reveal herself by flipping through the pages impatiently, the door slid open, and she looked up to see a girl she had never seen before.

So the rumor about a new student coming wasn't a lie.

The girl seemed like any other beautiful girl she'd seen: slim body, flawless skin, seemingly effortless hair, and a smile, albeit an apologetic one plastered on her face. The only quality that really stuck out to Yukari was her piercing red eyes. Other than that, just a normal student to through into the vicious den called high school.

She bowed to the teacher. "Sorry. I got lost on the way."

Ms. Toriumi looked the girl up and down. "That's fine." Then she turned to the class. "Guys, this is our new student. Minako Arisato." She turned around to write the name on the board while the class was in an uproar, some complimenting the girl, some complaining about the girl, and others asking the opinion of others regarding the girl. But Yukari seemed to think differently.

What better distraction than a new student!

Finding this an opportunity to finish her homework, she leaned forward a bit and tapped the person in front of her, possibly the smartest in the class. Thank goodness for random seating arrangements.

"What's the answer for two and five in lit?" she whispered softly.

For a moment, the boy looked hesitant about giving the answer, being a boy who always did his homework and preferred for others to do it as well on their own, but he was also a boy who understood the shame Ekoda normally brought to students if they didn't do their homework. He was academic, but he wasn't a jerk about it. He didn't want his piers suffering through that. Finally, he gave into her expectations, still managing to keep his morals.

"Check page 33, bottom of the right column, and page 34, middle of the left column."

"Thanks. I owe you big time."

He turned around uneasily and tried to pay attention to the girl in the front, while Yukari turned the pages and found the answers almost immediately in said sections. With a content sigh, Yukari put away her literature book and her homework. Mission complete.

She leaned on her left elbow, still loosely holding her pencil so she still looked as casual as she did while doing the homework. In the front of the classroom, the girl, Minako Arisato, giggled when someone asked her a question Yukari didn't hear. "No, I never really did do too well in that area, but hey, if you wanna burn something with me, let me know, and I'll be there in a hearbeat!"

The class laughed while Yukari, although confused, laughed along with them. What were they even talking about?

"Um," the new student leaned over Ms. Toriumi's podium to look at a piece of paper, then she looked back up. "Kenji."

"Oh no," Yukari muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"So what do you plan on doing in this school?" Well, at least it wasn't too bad, but it was clearly alluding to the rumors that were going on about her being some good luck charm for schools.

"Well, I guess like any other teenager... survive?" She shrugged. "You know, get through the academics, the social hierarchy, and maybe have something cool happen."

"What kind of cool thing?" Yukari sighed and regretted ever calling the boy even a friend of her friend.

"I don't know. Just something cool, I guess!"

"How cool?"

"Just cool...?" She gave him the most confused expression.

"What kind of-"

"Tomochika-san, please sit down and think of some logical questions."

It's official. Kenji was an idiot.

Minako started packing up her books as soon as the bell rang.

Thankfully, the day went on without incident. In fact, the whole day, aside from her morning, had gone on amazingly well. She'd already made more than a few friends in between classes, whether it be with a simple joke, carrying a few papers, or using her intelligence to help someone out with their homework. Now, if she could just find someone to hang out with after school and establish a more solid relationship, preferably someone popular or well-informed on the happenings going on around school… She wasn't particularly inclined to approach the big fish on the first day without enough info, nor was she inclined to go back home immediately to come face to face with her most hated and most persistent relative.

How she'd love to give him just one punch.

Minako sighed, trying to push any thoughts about her evil uncle to the back of her mind, was reminded of something that happened in the beginning of school. That Kenji kid asked a pretty good question. What should she do with this school once she's formed the relationships. Maybe, she should do something romantic like play matchmaker or get a boyfriend herself… Nah, too many obligations with the latter one. Maybe she could play godmother and fix some people's problems… Maybe, but some may turn out a bit boring. Maybe she could turn everyone into goody goodies... the effects may be a bit too long lasting.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone talk to her.

"So how's it feel like being the new kid?"

She looked up to find a boy with a baseball cap and a goatee sitting on the desk in front of her, his body turned to the side and his face turned toward her. He sure saved her the trouble of looking for someone to hang out with. If she remembered, he was Junpei Iori, son of a drunkard. Inwardly, she grimaced at the thought. Stuff like that was stupid, and anyone that did it was stupid too... but she'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully, he wasn't some hopeless drunkard like his dad. She honestly wasn't planning on dealing with people like him until the middle of the first semester, but she was flexible enough.

"Hm? Oh, normal I guess. When you've done it eighteen times, the thrill sort of dies down."

"E-Eighteen?! No kidding?"

Minako giggled at how his voice managed to raise an octave higher, always an entertaining trait in someone. "No kidding."

"Must be pretty tired of school by now. Oh, by the way, I'm-"

Suddenly someone snatched his hat right off his head.

"Hey!" Immediately, Junpei stood up and turned around to find the thief to be a girl with short brown hair and a pink sweater, innocently twirling his cap around her finger. He tried to snatch his hat back, but she quickly pulled it away, using her body as a sort of wall between Junpei and his precious hat.

If she remembered correctly, she was Yukari Takeba, a girl who also had connections with Mitsuru Kirijo and Akihiko Sanada. She vaguely wondered why there were only three people in a dorm the size of her hotel, but hey, she wasn't complaining. The less people, the more convenient it would be if she ever went there. It'd be a pain to deal with a bunch of people she'd already finished playing with. Besides, it probably had something to do with Mitsuru Kirijo, heir to the Kirijo Group living there. You know, "Only 'trusted' people may enter", and stuff like that. It's probably do her some good to be one of those trusted, starting with Yukari Takeba.

"Really, she just came and you're already hitting on her?" She looked disgustedly at Junpei.

"What?! I wasn't hitting on her," I was just making sure she was doing fine on her first day." He tried taking his hat back again, this time succeeding. "And quit taking my hat." he muttered as he put his hat back on his head.

"I will when you quit hitting on every girl you see. Seriously, ever thought you might be bothering someone?"

Minako looked from Junpei's frown to Yukari's raised eyebrow. They seemed rather close.

Yukari turned to her with an apologetic smile. "Anyway, sorry about this goofball. He's been having trouble with his hormones ever since he found out girls actually exist."

Even though Yukari addressed her and apologized to her. Everything she just said still seemed to be directed toward Junpei who unhappily crossed his arms.

"Is this about this morning? You know you could've copied my homework."

Minako furrowed her eyebrows as Yukari snorted. "As if! I'd rather get a lecture for not doing it instead of getting a lecture for doing it completely wrong."

And so their argument went on with Junpei defending himself and Yukari making light jabs at his ego. Although this little piece of information was interesting, it seemed that even though she was in the group she wasn't "in the group." Sure the two referenced her and used her as a second opinion every now and then in the conversation, but they really directed everything toward each other. She did observer, friend, confidant, but not third wheel. This was honestly why she preferred dealing with school one person at a time. It was a sort of way to avoid things like being ignored.

As if hearing her thoughts, Yukari started walking toward the door, only turning around once she made it to the front of the room. "Hey, Minako, if he does anything, let me know!" She pounded her fist in her palm, making her implication loud and clear.

Junpei sighed before muttering something under his breath along the lines of "trust issues".

"Sorry about that. She's Yukari Takeba-Yuka-tan to me-. Sometimes nice, mostly rude, but believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular." He leaned on the desk while making sure he was still facing her.

Really now… "That's cool that she's got a lot of friends!"

She'd probably do well to befriend Yukari Takeba soon, but she should probably do that one-on-one. With Junpei there, all she'd probably do is give him light jabs the whole way. There would be no way she'd talk to her directly.

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty cool. So wanna go grab a bite to eat with me, Mina-tan? Don't worry. If I take you down any dark ally, I'll make sure it's to save you from any goons in the city."

Minako giggle as she started walking with a spring in her step. "Then I guess you'll be my hero, huh?"

Yup, relationships formed one-on-one definitely were the best. Much easier to manipulate one person than two.

Finally, I'm done with this chapter. Honestly, I went through so much editing and rewriting, it seems so unreal that I'm actually finally posting this.

Okay, before the character analysis I wanted to ask if you guys want the actual to bring persona as in Tartarus, Nyx, and all that fun stuff into this, or would you prefer for it to be a free high school fanfiction.

Honestly, I don't want Minako to be too cool to relate to anyone because, honestly speaking, when you take away all the skills and strategy, she's basically just a jerk and a hypocrite. She's not some special human being that surpasses all human nature and can do no wrong. Though I am worried about the other "Minako." In trying to be perky, she will giggle and bounce a lot, as I'd picture any perky person doing, but does it seem like Minako is maintaining a consistent character through her dialogue. Admittedly, it is difficult, creating a character that can only be shown through dialogue and no inner thoughts whatsoever, but I must ask if I'm pulling it off well enough.

Oh, Uncle Ikutsuki. Do you see the family resemblance? Honestly, I was considering just putting him as a cameo, but then I thought that there should be at least one person that knows how she truly is, and what better person than Jerk #1? When reading some of his dialogue, I found that he really isn't a person that's evil but pretends to be good. It's more like he really is likeable jokester, but he just has his morals in the wrong place. So even with his jerkish side showing with Minako, he will still attempt his usual jokes albeit in a darker fashion.

For Yukari, I've decided to make her more aware of school life. Since she is technically part of the more "popular" section of the class, she should be pretty familiar with how school life works, and from my school experiences, last-minute homework is a pretty common occurrence. Though I am worried about the way she interacts with Junpei. While watching the videos, I found that she tries to be the more mature of the two, scolding him but still making jabs at him when she can. Does it seem off in any way?

For Junpei, he's more the guy who just wants to live a happy high school life with everyone smiling, a sort of contrast to all the jerkish and cynical characters I'm writing. Since he's mainly a naive character, he will be manipulated by Minako, but I do plan on him being an important character when it comes to Minako's character development as well.

Okay, you know the drill on constructive criticism. Right now, my biggest concerns are character consistency, smooth dialogue, understandable actions, and of course, whether you actually like it or not.