Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The streets of Port Island were eerily quiet that night. The sky was illuminated by a too-large moon that tinted the sky a sickly green. The air was still, with a musty hint to it like an old house left alone for too long.

But Akihiko had never minded the odd atmosphere. It was always like this at this time of night. The world changed, the people on the streets slid into their coffins, and the creatures of the night crawled from their hiding places. If he found a Shadow, he'd fight it. When he fought it, he got stronger. It was just that simple. And, hey, if he happened to find someone outside of their coffin before a Shadow could get to them, that was one less Apathy Syndrome case on the news the next morning. That was what brought him out on patrol that night, though so far he hadn't had much luck.

A shadow fell across the moon, and he looked up to see a massive structure dominating the sky. He stared up at it, then shrugged and continued walking. He hadn't realized he'd wandered so close to Tartarus. The tower loomed high over Port Island, taller than any skyscraper, its spire piercing the near-full moon above. Every night, when the Dark Hour fell, it appeared. It tantalized him – though he'd never been past the tower's lobby, the Chairman said it was the Shadows' nest. What he'd give for a chance to head further in…

Now that he was this close, though, something seemed odd. There weren’t any Shadows roaming near the tower’s base. Usually there was at least one, something to whet his fists with before he went home. But not tonight.

Just as Akihiko started to think that it was time to head back, he heard it. A series of low whispers, like the voices of several people speaking at once, on the air. A smirk spread across his face. The call of a Shadow. Right from the tower, too. He comfortably jogged toward its entrance, shaking his wrists out as he went. Mitsuru would probably give him shit later for heading there when he was alone, but it wasn’t like he was going inside.

But the moment he reached the tower, he realized that something was wrong.

He didn’t even notice that the gate to the courtyard was unlocked, or that there were no Shadows nearby despite the call he’d heard. The only thing he noticed was that there was someone lying in the middle of the courtyard – not a coffin, but a flesh and blood person. Akihiko stopped a couple meters away, examining him carefully. He was lying on his back, hands folded over his chest. He wore a Gekkoukan uniform, even though the school year hadn’t started yet. His hair was blue, chin-length, and parted over one eye, and his skin was disconcertingly pale.

Quietly, Akihiko drew his Evoker and began to approach. There was a good chance that this was a trap – some Shadows were smart like that. He could probably handle himself in an ambush, but that wouldn’t be fun to explain to Mitsuru. After taking a moment to scan his surroundings, Akihiko knelt beside the boy, putting his hand near the boy’s nose. No breath. Was he dead?

“Shit,” Akihiko murmured. Gingerly, he reached out and shook the boy’s shoulder.

The boy jolted. He let out a groan, rolling over onto his side, and slowly sat up. He began to cough hoarsely, and Akihiko leaned back to give him some space. The color was coming back to his skin now. He looked up at Akihiko, eyes widening.

“Wh-what…? Akihiko? Why am I… here…?” There was a dazed look in his eyes. He swung around, looking up at Tartarus, then down at the courtyard, and back at Akihiko again. “What’s going on? Why am I here? Where’s Aigis?!”

He’s definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. Doesn’t look like any Shadows’ve gotten to him, so he’s probably got the Potential too. Must’ve gotten it recently if he’s so delirious, though… Akihiko thought. He held his hand out. “Sorry, don’t think I know you. What’re you doing around here, anyways?”

Suddenly, the boy leapt forward and grabbed Akihiko by the shoulders. Akihiko jolted backwards, resisting the urge to throw him off of him.

“Hey, lay off--!”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?!” the boy cried. “Don’t tell me you all forgot--”

Suddenly, he let out a groan. He slipped free from Akihiko’s shoulders and put his hands under him. He breathed heavily for a second, and then started to retch. Akihiko leapt to his feet, pulling back just in time to clear the splash zone before the boy started to vomit. He grimaced and looked away until he was done. Even once he was done, the boy remained on all fours.

Gingerly, Akihiko crouched down beside him. “You alright?”

“I don’t feel so good...” the boy said.

Akihiko gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder. That’d be the Dark Hour at work. People who weren’t used to it always had a bad time the first few times they went in. Why did this guy know him, though? Maybe he was a fan. The girls at school acted kind of like this with him.

“Come on, I’ll take you back to our dorm. Mitsuru’ll know what to do with you,” Akihiko said. He carefully lifted his arm around his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. “You’re heavier than you look. You work out?”

“...I run sometimes,” the boy murmured as they started to walk out of the courtyard.

“No kidding? The boxing team does joint warm-ups with the track team sometimes, so maybe we'll run into each other...”

The two of them continued down the road together in muted conversation, away from Tartarus’s base.

As they walked away, the ground where Minato Arisato had lain only a few moments before began to ripple, like it was a pond that a stone had been thrown into.

A black-cloaked figure burst from the liquid earth. Chains burst from the distortion, entangling its body. It roared and struggled against its bindings, before suddenly thrusting its arms out. The chains shattered, and the figure flew free as more chains rushed to imprison it once again.

A hand the size of a person, skeletal and tar-skinned, tore free from the rippling ground beneath the figure. The chains reversed course, drawing around the new intruder. It writhed in their grasp as the chains dragged it down, until it sunk completely into the ground, and the earth became solid once more.

The cloaked being clenched its hand into a fist, and then released its grip. It turned its head past the peak of the tower, its gaze falling upon the moon. It was free.

And yet.

This world felt like no less of a prison than where it had just escaped from. The air itself was wrong. The moon did not call to it the way it once had.

This was not the realm of its origin. This was somewhere similar, yet alien. The only thing that felt the same was the presence of the human that had hosted it for many years, who was being led further away from it with each passing second.

Suddenly, a thin, gelatinous arm shot from the earth. The figure dashed backwards, yanking its cloak from its shoulders. With its other arm, it grabbed its sword and swung it at the arm, cleaving the attacker’s hand from its wrist. The severed appendage flopped to the ground, squirming and twitching before dissolving into black mist.

Then, a multitude of hands burst from the ground, filling the courtyard. The figure dashed and wove through a forest of clawing hands and swinging blades, deftly avoiding the spiraling daggers of blue energy that the Shadow cast at it and cutting through any stray arms with workman-like efficiency. Finally, as it approached the tower’s gate, it saw what it was looking for – an appendage carrying a blue mask.

The figure swung its blade, cleaving the mask in twain. The two halves clattered to the ground, the forest of arms dissolving into an ashy mist. Now, it merely had to wait for the inevitable – for the fallen piece to return to its origin.

Nothing came.

The cleaved halves of the mask shuddered, then drew together, rejoining with not even a crack.

We were mistaken, the Magician said.

The figure attempted to stomp on the mask, only for it to instantly dissolve into dust, denying it the pleasure of useless destruction. A taunting laugh rang through the air as the dust faded away. With a snarl, the figure turned away from the tower.

So even this world’s Shadows were alien to it. It was impossible for it to absorb its fragments in this world. It could not call to its mother. Far from this place, it could sense another Death, one far more incomplete than it.

The situation fell into place quickly. This world’s Fall was proceeding. There was no purpose for this Death in this world. Not if it could not join with its shards and summon forth its mother. Then what was there for it to do?

Somewhere within Death, a consciousness stirred. In a voice it had once borrowed, it pointed the way.

Death’s body shuddered, and then dissolved into black mist. It rose and began to float over the bay, toward where its host had gone. It passed over the bay and descended into the city. Finally, it reached the individual it had been searching for, just as he and his rescuer reached a large brick building.

“Alright, this is our stop. You can crash on our couch for the night, and we’ll figure things out in the morning, okay?” Akihiko said.

“...Sure,” Minato replied.

As the two climbed the building’s steps, the black mist sunk into its former host’s shadow, unnoticed by all.

In the moments before the Dark Hour ended, a blue butterfly landed upon a nearby streetlamp. It remained there, its wings still, until midnight passed and the world began to move once again.

Hamuko tugged at the sleeves on her uniform, frowning at her reflection in the mirror. She turned herself around, playing with the hem of her blazer and trying to pull it into a more comfortable position. Something about her uniform felt uncomfortable in a way that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Was it the way it fit? No, it fit fine… More than fine, actually. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable with wearing a blazer – her school before this one had one too.

Finally, her gaze fell on the circular logo on the uniform’s breast, and she sighed. That was it. It wasn’t anything wrong with the uniform, her stupid brain just couldn’t get over the school itself.

It had been weeks since she’d been asked to come to Iwatodai and attend Gekkoukan High School. The letter had baffled her. It wasn’t like she’d had a hard time passing the entrance exam, but… why her? Her grades were decent, but they weren’t exemplary; she’d never been the star player on her volleyball team; and she was pretty sure she hadn’t entered any lotteries to get in. She couldn’t think of a single thing that would inspire them to invite her back to the city. It was almost depressing. If she was being honest, she hadn’t expected that she’d ever return to Iwatodai.

She played with the sleeves of her uniform some more and pulled the hem of her skirt into place. After some thought, she loosened the knot on the ribbon around her neck. Finally feeling somewhat satisfied, she pulled a hair-tie off of her wrist and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She ran her fingers through it a couple of times, and then smiled at her reflection as her bedroom door opened behind her.

“Oh, you’re wearing your new uniform, Hamu-chan?” her aunt said as she walked in.

“I thought I’d make a better impression if I wore it there,” Hamuko said, turning toward her.

Her aunt nodded. “I think you might have the right idea. I wish your father could see you wearing his school’s uniform. I think he’d be proud.”

Hamuko’s plastic smile faltered slightly at the mention of her father. She recovered quickly – she didn’t want to make it weird. Who knew when the next time she’d see her family would be?

Finally, her aunt seemed to remember why she’d come in, and said, “Oh, your uncle just got back with the car. Are you ready to go?”

“Just about,” Hamuko said. All of her personal belongings fit into her suitcase with her clothes. There hadn’t really been much to bring. Just a laptop, what few CDs she hadn’t digitized, her clothes. She’d spent most of her life on the move, so she’d learned to keep things light. Because of that, she’d never gotten into the habit of hanging onto things she didn’t need.

“Okay, just meet us outside when you’re ready,” her aunt said, and then stepped out.

After taking a moment to look the room over and make sure nothing was missing, Hamuko grabbed the last thing she needed – an MP3 player and her favorite headphones, a pair of red clip-ons that fit nicely on her ears. She clipped her MP3 player to the front of her uniform, looped her headphones around her neck, and walked out of her aunt and uncle’s house for the last time.

~ X ~

“Right here, shadow 10 o’clock direction, seize the moment, destroy the nation--”

The song booming in Hamuko’s headphones did a lot to block out the noise of the city around her. Most of the trip to the train station would be spent alone. Her aunt and uncle had taken her part of the way, but it would be up to her to catch her train connections to Iwatodai. The crowded city streets boomed with noise, pushing her to turn her music up just to drown it out.

As she waited at a crosswalk, there was suddenly a loud screech, followed by the sickening crunch of steel and aluminum.She froze, her heart suddenly going a mile a minute. Slowly, she turned to see that a car had rear-ended a taxi, and both drivers were stepping out to yell at each other. She put her hand over her heart, breathing a sigh of relief. It was only when the people waiting with her began to move that she realized the “DON’T WALK” sign had turned to “WALK”. She let out a breath, shook her head, and crossed the road with the crowd.

It had been ten years since the car accident that had killed her parents. Even now, the wrong sound would make every nerve in her body fire at once. She still had nightmares of that day, though nowhere near as many as she used to. These days, they mixed with images from her old night terrors – mostly of the skull-faced figure she’d dreamt of often in the months immediately after. Her mind needed new ways to scare her after she’d gotten accustomed to the truth, she supposed.

As she walked down the road toward the train station, she couldn’t help but think back on what had happened between that day and now. It had been so long since she’d been in Iwatodai – so long that she was sure that everything she saw there would be new to her.

She’d spent most of the past ten years being moved from home to home, never putting down her roots too firmly. No one needed to tell Hamuko that she was only being taken care of out of obligation. She could feel it in the way they looked at her. Her family had never been mean or cruel, but there had always been a carefully calculated distance to their interactions.

Maybe it was no surprise that she’d found herself evolving similarly. At some point, she’d stopped trying to make friends, and instead searched for a comfortable everyday life. From day one, she’d be friendly and try to put her best foot forward so that no one would have a bad impression of her. But at the same time, she kept a careful distance, so that no one could peek too far inside.

By the time she made it to the station, night had fallen. Of course, because something had to go wrong, it was still going to be a while before she could catch her train. There’d been a major delay – someone had wandered onto the tracks, according to the announcement at the station. No one died, thankfully, but it sounded like there was some trouble getting things back on schedule.

She took a seat on a bench at the station and waited. When the waiting got too boring, she stopped by a shop and bought a shitty 1000 yen novel from a store at the station. When she got sick of that, she ended up just staring blankly at the tracks for a while.

When the train finally arrived, it was long after it was supposed to. She made a conscious decision not to check the time as she boarded it. She still had so long to go… the last thing she needed to think about on the way there was how late she was going to be arriving...

~ X ~

“Been a little while but I'm still battling moving fast while you's just prattling no time for me—“

As the train rumbled down the tracks, Hamuko’s attention fluttered away. There was little to look at outside her window, so she’d just been staring at the seat on the other side of the aisle for a while. Every so often, the train would stop, and some of the people who’d gotten onto the train with her would leave the car. Before long, she was the only person left.

...It’s going to be okay. This isn’t your first rodeo, she assured herself.

Sleep tugged at her eyelids. She leaned her head against the rattling window and looked outside. There was nothing outside but darkness and the city skyline streaking past. And… a strange glimmer of blue light.

Something about that light made her want to look closer at it. She wasn’t sure why, but it grabbed her attention despite her drowsiness.

A blue butterfly flew alongside the train, keeping pace with it. The impossibly slow flapping of its wings hypnotized her. It felt like there was nothing else in the world but her and that butterfly. The drowsiness that tugged at her eyelids pulled them closed.

When she opened her eyes again, the butterfly was gone. Her music thumped away in her ears.

"There's no man's land, no man ever survived invisible hands are behind you just now—“

Through her music, she could barely make out someone’s voice over the intercom. She raised a headphone off of her ear to hear it better.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay,” said a man’s voice over the speakers in clean, even tones. “Next stop is Iwatodai.”

Oh, already? She glanced out the window. The sky was completely dark now… what time was it? She’d gotten so caught up watching that butterfly that she’d completely lost track of time…

A few minutes later, the train lurched to a stop. Hamuko got up from her seat, grabbed her luggage, and stepped onto the platform.

“Iwatodai. Iwatodai. This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island,” the intercom stated to an audience of no one by Hamuko. The platform was empty – not even a janitor nearby to greet her. A clock ticked away over the turnstiles as she pushed her way through, pulling her map from her pocket. The intercom continued to give announcements overhead. Her music thumped away in her headphones...

...only for it to suddenly cut as the lights went out, and the world turned to green.

Chapter Text

In an instant, the entire world froze.

The lights turned off. The clock on the wall stopped moving without even a sound. A chill, stagnant air laid heavy over the station. Blood flowed over the turnstiles and pooled into puddles on the floor. Hamuko turned her head toward the skylight, squinting at the green-tinted sky.

Figures, she thought. The train would get here this late.

Hamuko stepped out of the station and onto the sidewalk. Obsidian coffins peppered the silent streets. What few cars were out that night sat at a standstill on the road, similar coffins in their driver’s seats. Ignoring them, Hamuko dug into her pocket and pulled out the map she’d been sent. It shouldn’t have been too far of a walk from here to the dormitory. With any luck, she’d make it there before time started again.

She kept her eyes on the map as she walked down the road. The only sound in the city was the splashing of her footsteps through the occasional puddles of blood. The light of the moon was more than enough to make up for the lack of streetlights. She wouldn’t get lost tonight.

After several minutes of walking, she turned onto the road that had been marked on her map. A four-story brick building stood out plainly on the road next to the more modern buildings around it. The lights were on, and the facade was clean of blood.

This… wasn’t right.

She stepped through the front door into a large lobby. One half was taken up by a sitting area, which was separated from the rest of the lobby by tall, partially-glass barriers. At the back was a dining table and what looked like a small kitchen. Hamuko unhooked her headphones and draped them around her shoulders, looking around. This wasn’t right at all. Why was the electricity on? Was someone here?

“You’re late. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”

She turned toward the voice. A young boy dressed in black-and-white striped clothing stood behind the reception desk next to the door. There was something about his outfit that reminded her of the prisoners you saw in old cartoons – like he was going for the aesthetic more than anything else. He snapped his fingers, and a red notebook appeared on the desk in front of him.

“Now, if you want to proceed, please sign your name here,” he continued. The notebook slowly opened, as if the page had been turned by an invisible hand. “It’s a contract.”

There was only one sheet of paper inside of it, marked with a single phrase: “I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.” Below that was a line to sign her name on.

She picked up the pen, suddenly very aware that she had to be dreaming. If she was awake, then she had to be hallucinating. There was a good chance that she was just signing the desk. But she’d already committed to it, so she might as well do it…

She finished signing her name and put the pen down. When she looked up, the space where the boy had been was gone. Without flinching, she turned her head to the side, and found him standing right by one of the windows, the contract in his hand.

“No one can escape time,” he said, holding it up. He turned it so the spine faced Hamuko, but it was like it was compressing, becoming a thin line. When he lowered his hand, the contract was gone. “It delivers us all to the same end. You can’t plug your ears and cover your eyes.”

The lights began to dim, casting the lobby into darkness. The boy took steps back, further and further, until the shadows of the room had completely consumed him.

“And so it begins.”

The lights finished dimming, and Hamuko was alone.

She stared dumbly at the place the boy had been. What… was that? She felt like that had been important somehow, but she couldn’t comprehend why it had happened to begin with. She was so focused on trying to unpack what had just happened that she didn’t even notice that someone else was in the room with her.

“Who's there?!”

Hamuko swung toward the voice. A girl in a pink cardigan stood just a few feet from her, her hand hovering over a gun holstered on her thigh. She jerked her hand toward it, and Hamuko reeled back –

“Takeba, wait!”

A second voice rung out from the back of the hall. The girl in the cardigan flinched, swinging toward the voice. Another girl, one with long red hair, came running down the hall, and stopped as she got close to the two of them. As she did, the light slowly came back on, Hamuko’s MP3 player beginning to play music again for the first time in an hour.

A moment of silence passed between the three. The girl in the cardigan lifted her hand away from the holster and relaxed. Hamuko lifted her hand to her MP3 player and clicked it off as the red-haired girl approached her.

“I didn’t think you’d arrive so late,” the red-haired girl said. There was something kind of regal about her, from her face to her hair to the way she stood. For a second, Hamuko wasn’t sure if she should shake her hand or bow to her. “My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I’m one of the students who live in this dorm.”

The other girl squinted suspiciously at Hamuko. Now that the lights were on, Hamuko could get a better look at her. She was cute – her brown hair perfectly cupped her face and accented her features well. There was a kind of confidence to how she carried herself that told Hamuko that she was probably pretty popular. Which just underscored how weird it was that she was carrying a gun to begin with.

“...Who’s she?” she said, turning toward Mitsuru.

“She’s a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign her here, but she’ll eventually be moved to a room in the girls’ dormitory,” Mitsuru explained. The other girl looked apprehensive, but she didn’t object. Mitsuru turned back toward Hamuko. “This is Yukari Takeba. She’ll be a second year this spring, just like you.”

“...Hi,” Yukari said. Hamuko nodded to her, but her gaze fell down her legs to the gun at her thigh. She… really wanted to ask about that. Before she could, though, she heard more footsteps.

She looked past Mitsuru and Yukari. A boy was standing on the stairs at the back of the lobby, staring at her blankly. His chin-length blue hair was parted to cover his right eye, and he had headphones similar to her own draped over his shoulders. The more Hamuko looked at him, the more she felt a strange sense of… familiarity from him. She couldn’t even begin to explain it. After all, she’d never met this person before in her life.

Mitsuru and Yukari turned, following Hamuko’s gaze. Yukari gave the new arrival a suspicious squint as Mitsuru stepped forward.

“I wasn’t aware you were awake, Arisato,” Mitsuru said. Hamuko glanced toward her in confusion before realizing she was talking to the boy. Mitsuru turned back toward the other two girls. “This is Minato Arisato. He’ll be in the same grade as you two.”

“Um… is it okay for him to be here?” Yukari asked. She watched Minato from the corner of her eyes.

“I’m only staying here while they get some things sorted out at the guys’ dorm,” Minato said. He stepped off the stairs and began to walk over to them, nodding first to Yukari, and then to Hamuko.

“These are Yukari Takeba and Hamuko Arisato,” Mitsuru said. Minato’s eyes widened, and he stopped in his tracks. “I will admit that I was surprised to see that you two have the same surname. An interesting coincidence, non?”

Hamuko couldn’t take her eyes off of Minato. He was still staring back at her, except now he was looking at her like… How could she describe that look? Recognition? Horror? He was fixated on something about her, and she couldn’t figure out what it could possibly be. She put on a brave face and walked up to Minato, holding out her hand.

“Nice to meet you!” Hamuko said. Minato looked down at her hand, then back up at her face. He tentatively took her hand and gave it a loose shake.

“Y-yeah. You too,” he said, pulling back and putting his hands back in his pockets. Okay. Not a conversationalist, obviously. Her gaze drifted to his headphones, and then down at his MP3 player.

“Oh hey, you’ve got the same music player as me! Same headphones too! You’ve got some good taste,” Hamuko said, unclipping her MP3 player from her jacket and holding it up. Minato took his own in hand, looking from it to Hamuko’s own.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, his stance relaxing a little. “The sound quality and storage are both pretty good for its size. I had to save up for a while for mine, but it was worth it.”

“Haha, me too. My aunt got so mad when she found out I’d been working a part-time job without her knowing,” Hamuko said. Minato’s spine went rigid for a second. After a moment, he relaxed. Before he could say anything else, Mitsuru coughed from behind them.

“It's getting late. Takeba, could you show Arisato to her room?” Mitsuru said.

“Oh... sure, I'll show you the way,” Yukari said. “Follow me.”

She stepped up toward the stairs, and Hamuko followed. As the two of them passed him on the stairwell, Hamuko held back just a bit, just to look him over once more. What a strange guy… Realizing she was falling behind, she took a quick, jerky step up the stairs to catch up with Yukari, leaving Minato behind on the stairwell.

~ X ~

Her room was on the third floor, it turned out. Two of the doors on this floor had nameplates – one for Mitsuru, and one for Yukari. Hamuko’s room was at the far end of the hallway… at least she’d have some privacy? Hopefully Yukari didn’t turn out to be a late night hard rocker...

Now that the two of them were alone, Hamuko decided it was time to address a burning question.

“That boy, does he live here?” she asked.

Yukari turned back toward her, frowning. “You mean Minato? I guess so… I wish that Mitsuru-senpai had told me someone new was moving in...”

No, I meant the kid with the contract… Hamuko thought. She decided to drop it there. If Yukari didn’t know him, then it was entirely possible that he actually had been a hallucination after all. The last thing she needed to do was make Yukari think that she was crazy when they’d barely even met.

As for Minato… Hamuko honestly wasn’t sure what to think about him. Her mind was already scrambling to explain away the coincidences. Arisato was an uncommon surname, but it wasn’t that crazy that he shared it with her. And it was the start of the school year, so them transferring in together wasn’t that odd either. Getting hit with the same mix-up that had her staying here said more about Gekkoukan’s management than anything else.

But she couldn’t get the way he’d looked at her out of his head. There was something about his eyes… Something familiar…

She shook herself out of her thoughts. Yukari pulled a key from her pocket and pressed it into Hamuko’s palm.

“Here's your room key. Oh, and don't lose it, or you'll never hear the end of it,” Yukari said.

As Hamuko slipped the key into her pocket, a nervous expression crossed Yukari’s face. She grabbed at her forearm, looking away a little bit.

“Um, can I ask you something?” Yukari asked. “On your way here from the station, was everything okay?”

It was not the question Hamuko had expected.

For a moment, she thought about how the world would change at midnight. How time would stop while people slept in their coffins. How the moisture in the air bled into red puddles on the ground. That stagnant air, scented with iron, under a sickening green sky and a yellow moon.

A dream within reality, a nightmare of death that had played before her unreliable eyes every single night.

Was everything okay?

She put on her practiced smile, putting her hands behind her back.

“It was fine,” she said.

~X~

The sounds of the city woke Hamuko before her alarm did. No surprise she hadn’t slept too well – there had just been too much going on the night before, and too much she had to worry about this morning. New school, her strange new dorm mates… That was on top of the usual period of adjustment that came from moving to a new school. She could already tell this was going to be a weird year.

After getting dressed and freshening up, she went downstairs to the lobby, where she found Yukari already waiting for her. Apparently, Mitsuru had asked her to take Hamuko and Minato to school that day. Hamuko was pretty sure , based on the rail map she’d seen at Iwatodai Station, that she knew how to get to the school from here. Of course, it had been dark and there’d been blood dripping down the glass at the time, so she could be wrong.

The walk to the station was chipper… so long as you were only paying attention to the girls. Yukari spent the whole time pointing out landmarks along the way and letting Hamuko know some fun facts about them. Like how there was a really good sweets shop in the shopping center they’d passed through on the way to the station, and about how Gekkoukan students liked to pray at the shrine down the way for good grades. But when she tried to bring Minato into the conversation, he just gave her a hollow nod or the occasional mumbling response. During the train ride over the bay, he just stared out the window as Yukari pointed out the school on the island.

Before long, the three of them reached the gates and headed into the building. Sunlight shone through tall windows into the entrance hall, reflecting off of the glimmering tiles. It was all so shiny that Hamuko didn’t know where her eyes should go. As they walked in, Yukari pointed out a bulletin board that several students were crowded around before launching into a quick explanation of the area. Which Hamuko didn’t hear a single word of, because she was too busy gawping at her surroundings. Minato, on the other hand, just looked bored as Yukari went through her quick little tour.

“...And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?” Yukari asked.

Hamuko blinked, and turned back toward her. “Uhhhh...”

“We’ll be fine. Thanks,” Minato said.

“Alright, good to know,” Yukari said, and then turned to leave. She stopped suddenly and turned back toward Hamuko. “Hey, about last night. Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?”

“Last night…?” Hamuko asked.

“You know! The thing with...” Yukari started. Hamuko suddenly grinned and leaned in close.

“If you keep talking like that, you're going to give people the wrong idea about us,” Hamuko said. For a second, Yukari stared blankly at her. Another second passed. And then Yukari's face began to turn a satisfying shade of red.

“A-Anyways, I'm gonna go find out what class I'm in. See you later!” Yukari said, quickly turning away. She ran off toward the bulletin board and started to try and slip into the crowd. Minato turned back toward Hamuko.

“...Still lost?” he asked.

“Shut up, I’m trying to look like I know what I’m doing,” Hamuko said.

“The faculty office is this way, by the way,” Minato said, as he slipped his hands into his pockets and nonchalantly began to walk toward a doorway. Hamuko swallowed back a particularly rude retort and decided to follow him.

The faculty office was down another particularly shiny hallway, though there weren't nearly as many people wandering it as there had been in the entrance hall. It wasn't too difficult for Hamuko to find it now that she was here, since the doors all had signs above them. As they passed down the hall, they passed a teacher in a samurai helmet and a blond-haired student talking to each other. Hamuko’s head nearly did a one-eighty as she tried to stare at them, before she turned back toward Minato.

“...Do you think it’s normal for teachers to dress like samurai here?” Hamuko asked.

“It’s probably just that guy,” Minato said, not even glancing at the two as he stopped in front of the door to the faculty office.

He sure was taking this all in stride. If it weren’t for how he’d been acting the night before, Hamuko would have just assumed he was the kind of guy who had to act like he wasn’t surprised by anything.

If it just weren’t for the night before. She still didn’t know what to make of it. She couldn’t get the way he’d stared at her back then out of her head. It was like he’d seen a ghost. And she still couldn’t escape that nagging feeling that she knew him somehow, despite the fact that he was a complete stranger to her.

It was strange. The boy in the dorm, the gun-carrying high school girls, even getting invited to this school in the first place. It was all much more normal by comparison. None of those things made her felt this sense of wrongness that Minato did.

The helmet-wearing teacher and his student finished their conversation, the blond walking away with an “Au revoir!” Hamuko felt herself jolt back into awareness. How long had she been staring at them? She’d completely zoned out. She looked back toward Minato, ready to apologize, only to realize that he was still just standing there with his hand on the latch.

“Hey, what’s the hold up?” she asked, mostly jokingly.

He didn’t answer her. His hand was shaking.

With a pang of concern, Hamuko leaned in closer. “Is everything…?

The door suddenly slid open. Minato jerked his hand back as a woman in a blazer stepped through the doorway. Her gaze slid from Minato’s face down to Hamuko’s, and Minato took a quick step back so he was behind Hamuko.

“Oh, are you two the new students?” the teacher asked. Minato seemed to be at a loss for words, so Hamuko nodded for him. The teacher smiled. “I thought you might have been late, so I was going to wait in the entrance hall for you two. You two are... Minato and Hamuko Arisato? Eleventh grade, correct?”

“Yes,” Minato croaked.

“You two were lucky. It's unusual for siblings to be placed in the same class together,” the teacher said, closing the door to the faculty office behind her. Hamuko shook her head.

“We're not siblings. Just the same last name,” she corrected.

“Oh, is that so? With what your files said about your families, I assumed...”

Hamuko's smile fell. In the corner of her eye, she saw Minato tense.

The teacher let out a small gasp. She put her hands on her thighs and bowed in apology. “I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be inconsiderate. With how busy it’s been, I...”

“No, it's okay... You didn't know,” Hamuko said, forcing the cheer into her voice. The teacher looked over her quietly, and then straightened up a bit.

“Why don't we start again on the right foot? I'm Ms. Toriumi, and I teach Composition. Welcome to our school. The two of you will be in 2-F; that's my class. The welcoming ceremony is soon, so how about we walk together to the auditorium?” Toriumi offered with a smile.

Hamuko gave a nod, but she found herself looking back at Minato. The whole time they'd been talking, he'd had this look on his face like he wanted to say something to Toriumi. As Toriumi offered to lead the way to the auditorium, Minato opened his mouth and made a small sound.

“Yes? Is something the matter?” Toriumi asked. Minato's shoulders fell as the words escaped him.

“It's nothing,” he said, and slipped his hands into his pockets, following after the two wordlessly.

Minato had ended up sleeping through the welcoming ceremony. For most of the day, he found himself drifting off as the hours passed and the parade of teachers each took their turn at the podium. He’d managed to wake himself up for lunch break, but the thought of trying to eat a real meal right now made his stomach turn. In the end, he’d just gone to the school store and bought a pack of melon bread before heading for the roof. There, he sat on a bench alone, staring out at the bay while he quietly ate.

The last time he’d been here, it had been during those last moments of his life. His head in Aigis’ lap, the breeze blowing through his hair. He’d held out long enough to keep the promise they’d all made, and that was all that had mattered to him then. He’d been content.

“So what is this, then…? A nightmare?” he said to no one at all. The chill of the early April air meant he was the only one eating up there that day.

He had nothing but questions, and not a single answer. Was his soul still bound to the Seal, and this was all just a dream? Or had he been freed somehow? But what did that mean for everyone else? How did Hamuko factor in? Who – or what – was Hamuko?

If only he could just talk to Igor… but he already knew that trying to go to the Velvet Room right now was pointless. The key he’d used to get into the Paulownia entrance had disappeared from his pocket, and he hadn’t had any dreams about the Velvet Room since he’d woken up in front of Tartarus. It looked like Minato was just going to have to wait for Igor to get in touch with him first.

He sat there like that, silently eating while he watched the sun on the waves, until the door to the roof opened. He turned to see someone in a baseball cap and a loosely worn uniform step through the door.

“Huh? Junpei?” Minato said without thinking. The guy walked up to him, hand in one pocket.

“Oh, cool, you remembered my name. Didn't think you were actually paying attention during introductions this morning,” Junpei said, raising his hand. “The bell rang a while ago, dude. Yuka-tan said she saw you heading up here and asked me to come look for ya. Thought you might have fallen asleep or somethin'.”

“Ah, crap,” Minato said, standing up with a start. “Sorry. I guess I didn't hear the bell go off.”

“Good thing I’ve got your back, right?” Junpei gave Minato a slap on the back as they headed for the stairs. “Don’t worry, it’s Ono teachin’ right now. You might’ve seen him around – dude’s obsessed with the Sengoku period, so he’s always dressing like a samurai. But we’re talking about mud huts to get us started, so he’s just as bored as we are. Means he’s not gonna care if you walk in late.”

Minato couldn’t keep the grimace off his face. Maybe this was a nightmare. Another year of Mr. Ono and Mr. Ekoda’s lectures…

About halfway down, Junpei turned toward Minato with a grin. “Sooooo... I heard that you came to school today with Yuka-tan and Hamu-chan. A couple of cuties like those on each arm... no wonder the whole class was buzzing about you. So, come on, give me the dirt! What's the deal?”

“We're just staying in the same dorm. Yukari was showing us around,” Minato said. “Why? Are there rumors about us already?”

“Uh, of course there are,” Junpei said. “You two didn't just walk in with one of the most popular girls in school, but you're also both transfer students, in the same class, with the same last name. By the way… are you two, uh, related? Or is it just a coincidence?”

“It's the latter,” Minato said flatly.

“Yeah, I had a feeling that might be the case. No offense, but it seems like there's some tension there,” Junpei said. They stopped outside of the door to 2-F as Junpei turned toward Minato again. “It ain't any of my business, but if you ever wanna talk about it, ol' Junpei's here to help.”

“Thanks, man,” Minato said. He nodded to Junpei, and then turned back toward the door to peek through the window. Sure enough, he could see Mr. Ono standing at the podium, going over his notes with a dull expression. He slid the door open, and Mr. Ono raised his head as the two of them walked in.

“Oh, good, you found Arisato,” Mr. Ono said with a yawn. “Take your seats and turn to page 24. The huts common to the Jōmon period would become more complex around 2500 BCE, and would begin to be built with stone floors, a practice that continued even in the post-Jōmon period with the Satsumon culture of Hokkaido... That won't be on the test, so you don't need to mark it down... Everything from the Sengoku era is much more interesting anyways! Speaking of the Sengoku era, did you know that...”

Feeling suddenly exhausted, Minato slipped into his desk. As Mr. Ono continued to rant about Sengoku era generals, Minato rested his head on his arms, and drifted off into sleep.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully for Hamuko. On the way out of class, Junpei Iori – one of Yukari’s friends, based on the bantering – flagged her down and asked her to go to Paulownia Mall with him and Minato. While Hamuko wasn’t really sure where she stood with either of them yet, she didn’t really have anything else to do, so she ended up going along with them.

They ended up spending most of their time at the record store and casually chatting about their musical tastes. Some of the funk that Minato had been in seemed to dissipate as they browsed the hip-hop section, as he would occasionally pick up an album and talk about the group that made it to the two of them. It turned out they had surprisingly similar tastes, though Hamuko noted that they differed in the details (she preferred more poppy music, if she was being honest). Still, she ended up picking up a CD at his recommendation.

As the sun started to dip low, they decided to head out, Junpei heading his own way while Hamuko and Minato rode the monorail back to the dorm together. Save for the two of them, the car was empty. They sat on opposite sides of the aisle, Hamuko staring out the window while Minato leaned forward with his headphones in his ears.

“Sooooo...” Hamuko said. Minato straightened up, pulling his headphones off and laying them around his neck.

“...What’s up?” he asked.

“What do you think? About… everything,” Hamuko said. “The stuff at the dorm. And everything at school, I guess.”

“It’s fine,” Minato said. “Nothing I didn’t expect.”

“Really? Huh,” Hamuko said. “I guess you’re getting used to things easier than I am. Though, I was so young when I left that I might’ve just forgotten how things are around here. Did you live here before too?”

Minato nodded.

“That's so weird. You're sure you're not a cousin of mine or something, right?” Hamuko asked, but then shook her head. “No, you don't have to answer that. I know you're not. Pretty sure all of my aunts and uncles have taken a turn at raising me at this point, so if you were, we would have met before now.”

Her voice trailed off, and she leaned back, staring out the window at the bay. She could see the Moonlight Bridge from the window. The bridge, at least, was the same as it had been ten years ago. The last time she'd been on it was the day of the car accident…

“What about you?” Minato suddenly asked. Hamuko turned back toward him. “What do you think about everything?”

“Huh? I dunno...” Hamuko said.

A strange feeling came over her. Normally, this would be when she’d just… lie and say that she wasn’t weirded out by anything, or that things were okay and what had happened at the dorm the previous night was completely normal. But something about Minato just made her feel like she could… open up a little. Even though he was a stranger. Even though he’d been so distant from her.

“I...” She sighed, shaking her head. “Look, don’t tell Yukari or Kirijo-san I said this, okay? But this all feels really sketchy. The way they were acting last night and this morning? It all feels… fake. Like they’re trying too hard to act like everything’s normal when it’s not. The school too – it’s big and fancy and there’s a lot going on, but it doesn’t feel real. It’s like they’re trying to distract from something bigger.”

An announcement rang out stating that the train would be stopping soon. Minato was sitting at attention now. The weight of his gaze made her want to get up and walk around. She didn’t even know why she’d spilled her guts to him so hard. Now that she was on the other side of it, she could feel the alarms going off in her head.

Change the subject, they said. Act like a normal person.

“Maybe I’m just overreacting,” she said, laughing. “I bet Junpei had the same thoughts when he started going here. Did he tell you he also transferred in? It was a while ago, though, he’s not new like us.”

“You’re right,” Minato said. “We wouldn’t have been brought here if they didn’t need us for something.”

Hamuko breathed in. She bit her lip, and then said, “You think so?”

Minato nodded. The monorail began to slow.

“Did you sign a contract?” he asked.

For a second, it felt like time stopped.

“...What?” Hamuko asked.

Minato’s face paled. The train came to a stop with a squeal, and the doors slid open.

“Never mind. Forget I asked,” he said, and immediately went for the doors.

Hamuko jolted to her feet and ran out after him. He cut through the crowd waiting for the train, and she shoved her way through after him as he passed through the turnstiles. Hamuko slipped through after him, and just before he tried to head for the stairs, she grabbed him by the arm.

“Wait!” she cried.

Minato froze. He turned toward her, guilt awash on his face. He didn’t even try to pull himself free from her grasp. There was something about him that reminded her of a cornered animal. If she made the wrong move, he’d run away again.

“How do you know about that? Yukari didn’t know what I was talking about when I tried to ask her!” she asked. It wasn’t a dream, and it wasn’t a hallucination either. That boy had been real. “Did you sign one too? Is that why?”

“I...” His voice choked.

“Please! You know what’s going on here, don’t you?!” Hamuko cried, squeezing his arm tighter.

Minato didn’t say a word. His eyes were wide and his skin was pale, and when he finally did speak, Hamuko was suddenly sure it was the most honest thing he’d said to her since they’d met.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and yanked his arm out of her grasp.

Without saying a single word more, he disappeared down the stairwell and into the city. And for a moment, as Hamuko watched him run away, she thought she saw tears in his eyes.

Chapter Text

When Hamuko returned to the dormitory, Minato was nowhere to be seen. Mitsuru said that he’d come back before she did, but when she knocked on his door, he didn’t answer. She couldn’t find him anywhere else in the dormitory, so either he was pretending he wasn’t there, or he’d slipped out without anyone noticing. After a while, she gave up and went up to her own room. Her sleep that night was restless, filled with images of dark shapes attacking and devouring people in the streets.

The next day, Minato didn’t show up in the lobby, leaving Hamuko and Yukari to walk to school alone. Hamuko decided not to mention her conversation with Minato to Yukari – part of it had been about her, and the part that wasn’t had involved things that she wasn’t sure she wanted to share with anyone.

It was on the way to the station that Hamuko saw one of the Lost for the first time. A middle-aged man leaned up against the wall of a building, moaning listlessly. His skin was unearthly pale, and his tie hung askew. He turned slightly to look at them as they passed, staring at them with an empty gaze. Yukari glanced at him for a second, and then quickly looked away.

“Apathy Syndrome,” she murmured once they’d walked past him.

Hamuko had heard stories about it on the news. People just suddenly being reduced to vegetables, unable to feed or care for themselves. It was like they’d suddenly lost the will to live. It was one thing to hear about it, but seeing it in person was a whole other thing…

“How come he’s not in a hospital or something?” Hamuko asked.

“The Lost can’t really hurt anyone, and the hospitals would be overcrowded if all of them were there. So most of the time they just… kind of wander around town,” Yukari said.

Hamuko bit her lip. She didn’t really know what to say about that. It was kind of creepy, but more than that, it was just… sad. In the end, she didn’t say anything about it at all. They walked into the station and got on the train without acknowledging the zombie-like man any further, the sight of him still burned into Hamuko’s memory…

~ X ~

Minato didn’t show up for class that day until right before the bell rang. Hamuko was only aware he’d slipped in because Junpei had crossed the room to go greet him, and had gotten himself chewed out by Toriumi for it. Hamuko spent most of the day daydreaming and being uncomfortably aware that Minato was sitting a few rows behind her. When the bell rang to end the day, he was the first to leave. As the door shut behind him, Hamuko just sighed.

She pushed back her chair and left the room as well. Whatever. She’d wait for him to work out his funk. They lived in the same dormitory, so he couldn’t avoid her forever.

Her irritation at the surreal bullshit of the past twenty-four hours drove her to the arcade, where she ended up just immersing herself in something with bright colors and lots of cartoon gore. It was only after the sun had set that she left, finally feeling like she could face whatever was on the other side of today with something approaching normalcy.

When she walked back into the dorm that night, someone new was sitting at the lounge together with Yukari. He had long hair reaching all the way to his shoulders, and wore a nice looking tan suit and glasses. Yukari looked up as Hamuko shut the door. “Oh, she’s back!”

“Ah, so this is our other new guest,” the man said. He stood, and suddenly Hamuko was very aware of his height as he towered over her. He held a hand out for her to shake, and she took it uncomfortably. His grip was firm, but his hands had a strange chill…

“You won’t run away like Minato-kun did, will you? He moved so fast when he saw me, I thought he needed to catch a train! Was he trying to go back to… Minato-ku, perhaps?” he asked, giggling.

Hamuko’s smile dropped. Minato-ku? As in the ward in Tokyo? Was he pulling her leg right now?

Yukari just groaned. “You’ll get used to his lame jokes. This is Ikutsuki-san. He’s the Chairman of the Board for our school.”

“It’s a little hard to say, isn’t it? ‘Ikutsuki’,” he said. “That’s why I’m glad Yukari said it for me. Now you don’t have to watch me get tongue-tied over my own name!”

This guy’s jokes were incredibly lame. But so far he seemed pretty harmless… though, Hamuko couldn’t help but notice the thin scar running down his left temple. How had he managed to get that? Something else about him was nagging at her, too. It took her a few moments before it hit her.

“Your name was on the letter I got!” she said.

“Yes, I signed off on your referral. I’m truly glad that you decided to take the opportunity we offered!” Ikutsuki said, smiling. “I do apologize about the confusion in your accommodations. Unfortunately, it may be a bit of time before we are able to place you in the right dormitory. It seems that whatever mistake put Minato-kun in this dorm affected you as well. I suppose our system wanted you to Ari-sate your curiosity about what we do over here?”

Hamuko held back a gag.

“Now, I can’t stay much longer, but is there anything you wish to ask?” he asked.

After some thought, Hamuko did decide to indulge him in a couple of questions. She decided to keep it simple – just asking about who else lived there and why he’d come to greet her. She distinctly decided to avoid asking any questions about what had happened the night she’d first arrived. The sense of artificiality she’d gotten from Yukari and Mitsuru was all the more pronounced around Ikutsuki. Everything, from his face to the cadence of his voice, felt like he was acting out a role. Like it was all a mask.

The puns were probably genuine, though.

In the end, she didn’t get much information out of Ikutsuki, though. Just that there was another student living at the dorm that Hamuko hadn’t met yet, a third year named Akihiko Sanada.

After a bit more conversation, she excused herself and went upstairs. She couldn’t take much more of this feigned normalcy. Between Minato avoiding her and everyone else around her trying to hide something from her, she could feel her nerves fraying. If she really was here because of a mistake, then she hoped they corrected it soon.

~ X ~

“Welcome to the Velvet Room… my name is Igor…

...This chair? It belongs to our other guest… He will be joining us in due time…

...I only ask one thing in return… that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make…”

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Hamuko awoke to the blare of her alarm. She slipped a hand out from under her covers and fumbled for the snooze. She sat up with a groan, her hair falling around her face in a thick mop.

She felt like she’d had a very strange lucid dream. She remembered an elevator, a long-nosed old man, and an attendant in a blue suit. The contract she’d signed on her first night in Iwatodai had been there, and…

“Hold onto this.”

She hurriedly searched through her pajamas’ pockets and came up empty. There was nothing in her sheets or under her pillow either. She was sure she’d been given a key at the end there, but it was nowhere to be found.

She let out a sigh and climbed out of the bed. Clearly this had just been another part of the dream. Her nerves really were getting to her if she was letting something like this get to her. Without thinking on it any further, she walked over to the mirror and started brushing the mats out of her hair.

~ X ~

That day followed the same pattern as the previous. Small talk with Yukari and Junpei before class. Long, droning lectures. Minato leaving the moment class ended. Meeting Ikutsuki in the lounge, and then heading up to her room.

Everything was too quiet. It make her skin prickle. It had been three days since she’d first arrived, and two since she’d last talked to Minato. She couldn’t get what he’d said out of her head. More than that, she couldn’t stop thinking about what he hadn’t said.

She went to bed that night feeling irritable and uncomfortable. By the time she fell asleep, the full moon was high in the sky, shining brightly through her window…

On the night of the full moon, Shuji Ikutsuki made his second trip to the co-ed dorm this week. It was rare that he had opportunities to show his face as often as he had recently, due to his duties keeping him busy, but recent events had mandated his continued appearance.

He sat on a plush ottoman in the control room, staring up at the bank of consoles dominating the wall. It was a security system of Ikutsuki’s own design. Mitsuru and Yukari stood before it, watching the video feed from the dormitory’s hidden surveillance cameras on the smaller screens lining the bank of console. The large screen on the wall was dominated by graphs and a map of the Iwatodai area. On the side was a menu that listed open wireless communications lines, though right now, there were only two points of contact – this dormitory, and Akihiko Sanada, who was out on patrol.

Though the Dark Hour had not yet fallen, they had already begun that night’s surveillance session. The surveillance feed was split between two rooms, with Hamuko Arisato on one screen, and Minato Arisato on the other. Hamuko slept soundly, without the restlessness typical of those who had only recently obtained the Potential. Though it had only been two days since her arrival, he had yet to observe any signs of memory loss or disorientation. If he was going to jump to conclusions, then he could only conclude that she had adapted to the Dark Hour long ago.

It was quite possible that she’d possessed the Potential naturally, rather than developing it later in life. If true, it meant that her family had kept a natural Persona user away from him for ten years. It was a shame – if he’d known about her ten years ago, then there wouldn’t have been the need to waste time on artificially inducing Personas. SEES could have started exploring Tartarus long ago instead of wasting time on straggler Shadows wandering the city. The loss of Aragaki still burned at him – Aragaki had incredible talent, and he might have been with them still had he only not lost control in a populated area.

The file on Hamuko’s history had been short but revealing. Her parents had died in a car crash on Moonlight Bridge ten years ago, on the same day as the Thirteenth’s escape. Following their deaths, Hamuko was shuffled around to various relatives and schools. According to her medical record, she spent some time in counseling around this point and had previously taken medication for insomnia, something Ikutsuki suspected was not unrelated to why she’d been moved around so much.

Despite her changes in residency, she had managed to maintain average-to-high grades and had participated in athletic teams at her schools. It was noted that she’d briefly trained at a dojo specializing in naginata combat, and Ikutsuki had made sure to ask Mitsuru to obtain a similar weapon for Hamuko. Overall, Hamuko had managed to become an exceptionally average student. Perhaps that in of itself was worth celebrating – there were many in similar situations who couldn’t manage that.

His gaze moved to the other screen. Minato Arisato sat awake on his bed, holding a water bottle. His head was bowed and his foot was tapping nervously. Ikutsuki gave him a suspicious squint.

Ikutsuki did not personally confirm every student transfer that came through Gekkoukan’s offices, but there had been signs that someone had tampered with the student records recently. Arisato’s files were vague, only stating that his parents had died on the same day as the Moonlight Bridge incident. The same day that Gekkoukan teacher Souta Arisato and his wife died, orphaning their young daughter. The day that Aigis was decommissioned after she failed to contain the Thirteenth Shadow.

Hamuko was an only child, that much Ikutsuki had confirmed since Minato’s arrival. It made everything about Minato’s stated past all the more suspicious. Even more so once Akihiko told him that, while Minato had been in a state of disorientation, he had mentioned Aigis by name. Not even Mitsuru knew of Aigis’ existence – he had deemed it better that she not know about their previous experiments with artificial Personas, considering her past experiences.

He’d finally gotten a chance to meet the two when he’d come by the dorm the previous night. While Hamuko had been happy to speak with him, Minato had immediately made an excuse to avoid the conversation. And then, when Ikutsuki had arrived that night, he’d done it again.

There was something off about Minato Arisato. Something that Ikutsuki couldn’t put his finger on. He looked up at the screen as the world switched to the Dark Hour, the lights in the room instantly dimming. At that instant, Minato went to take a drink from his water bottle just as the content’s turned to blood. The boy’s eyes bugged out, and he threw the bottle at his door. It burst on impact, leaving a large splash.

“Geez…” Yukari murmured as Minato began to cough.

“Hmm… this is interesting. It seems like the symptoms he showed before have started to go away. I don’t see any signs of disorientation,” Ikutsuki said.

Mitsuru nodded. To her side, Yukari murmured something under her breath that Ikutsuki didn’t quite catch. Before Ikutsuki could question her, movement on the screen caught their attention.

Minato stood and squinted up into the camera. He watched it for a moment, and then walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled a chair away from his desk and stood on it. He opened his hand, revealing a handkerchief and two thumbtacks, and pinned the handkerchief over the camera.

“What – Did he –?” Yukari sputtered.

Mitsuru chuckled. “I wonder when he noticed? I suppose your surveillance system isn’t as hidden as you thought, Mr. Chairman.”

Ikutsuki gave a wry smile. Suddenly, the console let out a series of loud beeps. Mitsuru pressed a button on it.

“Command room. Is that you, Akihiko?”

“You're not gonna believe this...! This thing is huge! Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk... it's chasing me...”

The sound of footsteps running down the hall woke Hamuko before anything else did. She sat up, squinted at the door, and pulled herself out of bed. The color of her walls told her it was midnight, so there shouldn’t have been anyone else out of bed right now…

Whatever was going on downstairs, she couldn’t hear it – she was too far up from it. Squinting through the drowsiness, Hamuko hopped out of bed and over to her wardrobe, where her uniform was already hung up for the morning. If she was going to check out what was going on downstairs, she might as well be dressed when she did it.

She was about to zip up her jacket when a chill went down her spine. It felt like… something was watching her. That wasn’t possible though, was it? She was supposed to be alone during this time.

She walked over to her window and looked through it, staring down into the alley.

...There was… something moving down there.

In the darkness of the alleyway, its body was imperceptible. It crawled on the wall, reaching out with hands she could only barely see in the dim light. It kept pressing its fingertips against the brick and then pulling back, as if it was dissatisfied with what it had found. There were glints of light in that darkness, in the mass of what she could only assume was its body. In the shuffling of that mass, the low light moved across one in a way where she could make out its shape. It was a sword. The thing was carrying swords.

Then, it lifted up a mask. The mask glowed with a dim light of its own, bright blue, otherworldly. It turned it this way and that, as if it was looking around. Hamuko leaned closer to the window, trying to get a closer look. Her heart jackhammered against her ribcage. She wanted to look away, but something was drawing her in…

It turned the mask toward her window. Its hollow gaze met her own. The creature dug its fingernails into the brick and scrambled up the wall, arms flailing, gleaming swords scraping stone. Hamuko scrambled backwards, slamming her back against her wardrobe. The mask lifted into the view of the window. An arm raised up and grabbed onto her windowsill. And then another. And another. The mass twisted, one arm rearing back.

It smashed through the window. The pane shattered, scattering glass across the room. Hamuko screamed. It grasped desperately for her face, fingernails brushing her nose. The shattered remnants of her window cut into its arm, spilling thick ichor onto the windowsill.

The door to her room crashed open. An arrow flew past Hamuko’s face. It buried itself in the monster’s arm, and it screeched and pulled back like a bungee cord. Yukari pulled another arrow from a quiver on her back. She had a gun strapped to her thigh and a red armband clipped to her arm. Behind her, holding a short sword and a naginata close to his chest, was Minato.

“Run!” Yukari yelled.

Hamuko peeled herself from the wardrobe and ran through the door. Yukari slammed it behind her and threw herself against it. Hamuko scrambled through her pockets for her key. Something massive slammed into the door, cracking it and making its doorknob rattle. Hamuko managed to lock the door before it could come back for another tackle. Yukari pulled the naginata from Minato’s arms and shoved it into Hamuko’s.

“I don’t have time to explain! We have to get out of here, now!” Yukari said.

The three of them ran to the stairwell. The three of them ran to the stairwell. From somewhere outside, Hamuko could hear the muffled sounds of clanging metal, gunshots, and breaking glass. Yukari ran toward the stairwell.

“Wait!” Minato yelled.

Yukari stopped on a dime, turning toward him.

“Downstairs isn’t safe,” Minato said. “They’ve already gotten to the back door. We have to keep going up.”

They, Hamuko repeated in her head. Whatever that monster had been, there were more of it. She gripped her naginata tighter.

“How do you – never mind! If we go upstairs, we’ll be trapped!” Yukari said. “We need to get out here while Mitsuru and Akihiko have it –”

The earpiece in Yukari’s ear started beeping. She lifted a hand to it. Whatever was being said on the other side of it couldn’t have been good, because Yukari’s eyes suddenly widened. From downstairs, Hamuko heard the sound of wood cracking.

Yukari ran for the stairs heading up. Minato followed closely behind, with Hamuko trailing. Something shattered on the floor below. Thudding footsteps followed them up the stairwell. She pushed herself to run faster.

After two staircases, they reached the door to the roof. Yukari pushed through the door and held it open. The moment Minato and Hamuko ran through, she slammed it behind them. Something threw its entire weight against the door. Yukari held the door closed as the creature on the other side slammed into it again and again.

The banging died down. Yukari slowly turned.

A black hand grabbed onto the roof’s railing.

Minato stiffened and raised his sword. Another hand grabbed on with a sicking squelch. Ichor from its cuts bubbled onto the roof. The rest of its hands soon followed.

The blue mask raised above the railing. It turned left, right, and finally, toward the three of them.

The monster heaved its entire bulk onto the roof. It scrambled toward them on hands, nothing more than a tangle of interlinked arms, rolling and skittering like an insect.

Yukari threw herself in front of Hamuko, yanking her gun from its holster. She pressed the barrel to her forehead, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes. Her finger closed on the trigger.

A blast of spiraling blue-and-white energy erupted beneath her. It flung Yukari to the ground, her gun skidding across the roof.

Minato leapt for it. A hand swatted him away before his fingers could even touch its grip. He landed roughly, letting out a pained grunt. He twisted, swinging his sword up over him as one of the monster’s blades swung down toward him. Its blade met his with a loud clang. The monster bore down harder.

Minato turned his head toward Hamuko. His blade began to crack.

“Use it!” he yelled.

Hamuko stared at the gun at her feet.

Seconds felt like minutes. Her mind and body were disconnected. She couldn’t even hear the fight anymore. Just the thumping of her own heart in her ears.

An image arose in her mind. The boy she’d seen the first night stood before her, smiling. He raised his hand, curled into a pointing motion, to his temple.

Go on.

She bent down and took the gun in hand. It was cold. Heavier than she’d expected. Her finger fell naturally into the trigger. All she had to do was pull.

“Hurry!” Minato yelled.

She didn’t hear him. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she raised the gun to her temple. Her hand was shaking.

A sudden moment of clarity cut through her trembling thoughts. She let out a small breath, her lips curling into a smile. Her grip steadied.

“Per… so... na.”

And she pulled the trigger.

A lightning bolt rocketed through her head. The power surged out through her toes. It became shards of glass that spiraled up around her body. It melded and morphed, becoming a humanoid shape – a woman’s head with long, brown hair; a genderless, golden robotic body; and a heart-shaped harp upon its back. The figure roared, its voice reverberating from the speaker in its torso.

“Thou art I... and I am thou... from the sea of thy soul, I come forth. I am Orpheus, master of strings!”

Hamuko was lost in the reverie. The power searing through her overwhelmed her every sense. This had been lying inside her this whole time? This was her? She could feel Minato and Yukari’s gazes on her, staring at her in awe. Or was that shock in Minato’s eyes?

Then, pain.

Hamuko doubled over, grasping her head tightly. Something inside her was trying to tear her in two. It was ramming against the walls of her skull and rattling the bars of her ribcage, screaming, LET ME OUT, LET ME OUT. Orpheus began to writhe. Hamuko began to scream.

Two arms shot up through Orpheus’s neck, snapping its head off of its body. They grabbed onto its collarbone and pulled.

In a single powerful tug, Orpheus was ripped apart, revealing the beast within. Chunks of Orpheus’s robotic shell clattered to the ground as the figure roared. It was far larger than Orpheus, with great steel jaws and a cloak of coffins and a sword that gleamed like moonlight. Hamuko fell to her knees, gasping in pain.

It leapt into the air, its body silhouetted against the full moon. It landed, tore the monster off of Minato, and slammed it back down onto the roof. It stomped down upon the monster and shoved its hand through its body, grabbing a flailing arm and pulling. Where the arms caught and tangled, they splattered. The pain in Hamuko’s head became overwhelming. The gun dropped from her hand, clattering to the ground.

The figure swung its blade through the monster, cutting its mask in twain. The mask fell apart like paper, and its limbs fell limp. They landed on the ground, writhing, flailing like gasping fish. The figure snatched one from the ground and let it flail in its grasp. The figure grunted like an excited beast as the arm tried to free itself, and then squeezed its hand tightly, splattering the arm into ichor. Finally, the figure rose into the air, giving one final roar –

– and then it flickered, and Orpheus was back.

Hamuko fell forward, catching herself on her hands. The power that had surged through her was gone. The edges of her vision were fraying. Orpheus flickered away into blue flames, disappearing. New, smaller shapes began to rise out of the sludge the monster had left behind. She needed to get the gun again. She needed to do something –

Someone ran in front of her and scooped the gun off of the ground.

“PERSONA!”

Hamuko raised her head. First she saw Minato’s back. Then she saw the shape forming in front of him. A silver-bodied, white-haired figure with a harp, just like her Orpheus, but so different –

Flames sparked off of the new Orpheus’s harp, incinerating one of the new monsters. It swung its harp like a club at another. A third and fourth emerged from the sludge, only to be obliterated by a powerful wave of flames. As they faded away into black mist, it all fell into quiet.

Minato breathed heavily. He stumbled on his feet for a second… and then collapsed.

“Hey!” Hamuko called out. The darkness on the edge of her vision was winning out, she couldn’t move. Whatever had happened to her – whatever she’d done, whatever had clawed its way out of her – it had drained everything out of her several times over. She reached out toward Minato’s body, her vision blurring.

The exhaustion won out. As Hamuko fell onto her face, she heard Yukari call out her and Minato’s names before, finally, her vision went black.

Chapter Text

Hamuko came to slowly. She grasped at her temples, her vision fading in and out. She felt dizzy – like something had reached into her head and uprooted everything inside. After a moment, the throbbing dizziness began to fade.

A soft piano track played on the air, punctuated by a low mechanical rumble from somewhere below her. A bright light passed over her, and she looked up to see an intricate gate. Another one rushed downward past the gate, and she realized in an instant she was in an elevator. Along the walls, standing freely in their frames, were several doors, all but two draped in velvet curtains. Everything in this room was colored in shades of blue, from the walls to the carpet to the very table she sat at.

Seated across from her on a large plush chair was a wizened, long-nosed old man. The same man she’d seen in the dream she’d had the night before. Hamuko felt herself straightening up at that realization. His attendant Theodore, a younger man with combed white hair and a blue suit, stood silently next to him.

Suddenly, someone slammed their hands down on the table. Hamuko jumped in her seat, the sound jolting the cobwebs from her eyes.

“What the hell is going on!?” Minato yelled, standing up from his chair.

Igor turned his head to the side. He folded his hands over the other.

“Curious… I had only meant to summon one of you, yet you appeared together. Your fates truly are intertwined,” he said. “Please, sit down. I assure you, all will be revealed in due time.”

Minato scowled. He reluctantly took a seat, but not before he gave Theodore a questioning glance. Whatever he wanted from the attendant he didn’t get, though, as Theodore just continued to stand there without acknowledging him.

“What’s going on? The last thing I remember is passing out…” Hamuko asked.

“The two of you became unconscious after awakening to your power – your Personas,” Igor said, looking only at Hamuko. He chuckled. “It is nothing to worry about. You are merely asleep in the real world.”

“Persona…?” Hamuko repeated. The word was strangely familiar – it wasn’t just that she’d said it when she’d summoned Orpheus. She knew it somewhere in her soul.

“A Persona is a manifestation of your psyche. It is like a mask that you use to face the world. And yours is very special indeed. Like the number zero... empty, but holding infinite possibilities,” Igor said. “You are able to possess multiple Personas and summon them as needed.”

Hamuko thought back to when Orpheus – her – was torn apart. It was so hard to separate the feelings in her head. Was that her summoning another Persona? That monster was a part of her?

“This power will grow with the strength of your Social Links – your emotional ties with others. When you have defeated your enemies, you may see the faces of possibility before you. They may be difficult to grasp, but do not fear. Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly.”

Hamuko glanced over toward Minato. He’d been sitting silently for a while, staring down at his lap, his hands curled into fists against his thighs. “What about Minato? Does he have the same power as me?”

Igor lifted his head. He readjusted how his hands lay together. “His power is… different. Due to actions he took in the past, his existence has become weakened, and the nature of his power has changed.”

Minato raised his head, his eyes wide.

“However, that is a subject for the two of us to discuss in private. I do not make a habit of disclosing my guests’ secrets, after all,” Igor said.

Before Hamuko could ask something else, Igor waved his hand over the table. Two folios appeared and opened themselves. The one in front of Hamuko held the contract she’d signed a few nights previous, but the one in front of Minato seemed… older. The paper was yellowed, and the folio’s leather cover was dry and cracked. The text was identical on both: “I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.”

“Only those who have signed this contract can enter the Velvet Room. Henceforth, the two of you are welcome within our hall. We shall assist you in honing your unique abilities. The only thing I ask in return is that you abide by your contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make.”

He glanced up at the clock on the elevator door, and then back at Hamuko and Minato.

“However, it seems that our time grows short. For now… sleep. We shall meet again…”

At once, Hamuko found herself being overwhelmed by a strong exhaustion, stronger than anything she’d ever felt. Remembering Igor’s words, she let it overtake her and closed her eyes, the Velvet Room drifting away…

~ X ~

She stood upon a tall, tall tower, at the center of the plaza at its zenith. She knew what it was from its light sway, buffeted by the wind whipping around it. It was night, the sky a dark black, the full moon shining high in the sky.

The moon felt so close. Like she could reach her hand up and tug it down. What would happen if she did? Would everything change?

She reached her hand toward the sky, grasping for the moon. She couldn’t touch it, yet she could feel it, right on the edge of her fingertips. All she had to do was pull –

“Hi, how are you?”

Hamuko yelped. She shot up in her bed, looking around frantically. Greenish light streamed in from a long window on her hospital room’s wall, silhouetting the figure sitting at the edge of her bed. Her eyes adjusted in the darkness, allowing her to make out the boy’s image. It was the boy in the prisoner’s uniform, the one she’d seen the first night she’d arrived in town.

“Holy crap!” Hamuko hissed. “You scared the hell out of me! You –“

She stared directly at him, suddenly realizing what she was doing. She was talking to a hallucination. A night terror.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling a lock of hair away from her face.

“I’m always with you,” the boy said with a chuckle. “Have you forgotten already? I was there when you faced your end.”

He put a pointed finger to his temple and pulled an invisible trigger. Hamuko sighed, putting a hand to her head. Yeah, she remembered that. She took a moment to look around the room. She’d never been in one before, but this had to be a hospital room… Her gaze drifted toward the window and the blood red bay beyond it.

A sharp jolt of pain rocketed through her temples. Hamuko let out a sharp breath and put a hand to her forehead.

“You mustn’t strain yourself too much,” the boy said. “After all, your power is only recently awakened. And what a unique power it is. It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up.”

The boy disappeared. When he reappeared, he was standing at her window, and he beckoned for Hamuko to follow. She climbed out of her bed and walked over to him. He pointed toward something toward her right, and Hamuko’s eyes slowly began to widen.

A massive tower extended out over the city, illuminated by the half moon. Her gaze followed its length from its base to its peak. There were warped buildings and Greek columns and clocks and aqueducts stretching away from it, blood flowing like waterfalls from them into the open air. Her gaze followed the water down toward the tower’s base...

“The Tower of Demise, Tartarus,” the boy said.

Hamuko could only stare. How could she have missed that this was here? Was it just because she hadn’t been to Port Island during this time before now?

“Soon, the end will come,” the boy said. He turned toward Hamuko, looking apologetic. “But to be honest, I don’t really know why it will happen or what it is. But I remembered, so I thought I should tell you.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Hamuko said, looking away from the tower. There was something beautiful about its chaos, but staring at it was making her feel a little dizzy. She walked back to her bed and took a seat on it, but the boy didn’t follow. He put a hand on the glass and leaned in closer, staring out at the tower with a strange kind of longing. For a moment, Hamuko wanted to tell him not to lean on the glass, but she was half convinced he wasn’t really here anyways.

“Before I go…” the boy said, wrenching his gaze from the tower. “Recently, a strange flower has bloomed in your garden. It grows with different petals than the others, yet it is similar to your own. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the end, but you should be careful.”

“...Thanks,” Hamuko said. The boy nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be watching you, even if you forget about me,” the boy said. He waved goodbye to her, and then he was gone, like he’d never been there to begin with.

~ X ~

When Hamuko next awoke, it was morning. No green sky, no sea of blood. Just her and the hospital room.

Most of her morning was spent doing tests. According to the doctor, she’d spent the better part of a week just… sleeping. They hadn’t been able to find anything else wrong with her. The headache from the previous night had gone away, at least. Maybe she’d needed all of that sleep just to recover from… whatever had happened at the dormitory.

She’d asked about Minato, and apparently, he’d been brought into the hospital at the same time as her. However, he’d woken up a few days before she did and had already left the hospital. She’d have to find him later.

She was finally cleared to leave around five that afternoon. Apparently, someone from the dorm was here to pick her up. All the better – it meant she didn’t have to waste any time before she could get some of her questions answered. The nurses brought her clothes back – the same uniform she’d worn during the fight on the rooftop – and she changed into them. As she pulled on her shoes, her toe hit something stiff. Frowning, she pulled her shoe off and looked inside.

Someone had stuck a folded piece of paper into the toe of her shoe. She pulled it out and unfolded it.

IKUTSUKI CAN’T BE TRUSTED

WATCH WHAT YOU SAY IN THE DORM

THE FULL MOON SHADOWS MUST LIVE

“What the hell…?” Hamuko said quietly. She slipped her foot into the shoe as she read over the note once more. Ikutsuki couldn’t be trusted? He’d seemed off somehow, but…

...no, of course. This was no different from how it always was.

The part about the dormitory seemed obvious enough if they were trying to tell her to be careful around Ikutsuki. But what was this about the “full moon Shadows?” Now that she thought about it, there had been a full moon on the night that she’d fought that big monster. Was that related somehow?

Someone had obviously wanted her to find this. The question was who and why. With how long she’d been out, anyone could have come to visit her and slipped it into her shoe during the past week. Whoever had done it clearly didn’t want her to know who they were. Was it because it would be dangerous for them if they did tell her directly?

Feeling disconcerted, she slipped the paper into her pocket and left her room.

When she entered the hospital lobby, Yukari was waiting for her at the front desk. Hamuko hesitated as she passed through the door, that little nugget of suspicion from the note still floating around her head. But then Yukari turned toward the open door and looked at her with this pure expression of surprise and happiness, and Hamuko felt some of that suspicion melt.

“Oh, there you are!” Yukari said. “They said you were awake and you’d be cleared to go after school today, so I thought I’d wait around here for you.”

She walked up to Hamuko, smiling.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions, but let’s get out of here first, okay?” Yukari said.

Hamuko relaxed a bit. This was different from when she’d talked to Yukari before. There wasn’t that sense that Yukari was faking it somehow. Hamuko gave a nod, and after checking out, the two of them walked out of the hospital together.

~ X ~

“The doctors told you everything that happened to you, right? Well, the stuff that they could,” Yukari said as they walked down the road toward the station.

“Just that I’d been out for a week,” Hamuko said. “How come you came to pick me up? I could’ve walked back from the hospital by myself.”

“Mitsuru-san asked me to. I was going to be coming by to visit anyways, but I guess she wanted to be sure after what happened with Minato,” Yukari said. Hamuko quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, right, you weren’t awake for that. He actually woke up the day after everything happened and checked himself out without telling anyone. Mitsuru-san was pretty mad when she found out.”

“Why would he do that?” Hamuko asked.

“No clue. He came back, so I guess it’s okay in the end…” Yukari said.

They passed into the plaza in front of Port Island Station. It wasn’t rush hour, so there were only a few people loitering around… none of the Lost, though. Now that Hamuko thought about it, she hadn’t seen any since she’d left the hospital. They started to ascend the stairs to the station’s entrance as Yukari continued.

“You wouldn’t guess it from how this place looks now, but around ten years ago, there was actually a big explosion in the area. A lot of people died in it… like my dad,” she said.

When they reached a landing halfway up the stairs, Yukari broke off from the path. She walked over to a small viewing area overlooking the sea. Yukari rested her hand on the railing, looking out at the bay and squinting in the setting sun. Hamuko hung back as Yukari continued.

“He worked in a lab run by the Kirijo Group around here. When the explosion happened, my dad got blamed for it. And since he wasn’t around anymore, me and my mom took the hate for him… She changed a lot after that…”

She looked back at Hamuko with a guilty expression.

“To be honest, I already know everything about your past. But I didn’t think it was fair for me to know and you to not. So… there you go,” Yukari said.

Hamuko didn’t say anything at first. She just rubbed the back of her neck, shifted her feet in the dust, and laughed a little bit. She didn’t quite meet Yukari’s eye when she finally responded.

“Everything, huh? I guess getting off on the right foot was never going to happen, then,” Hamuko said. She looked out toward the bay and bit her lip. The words she wanted to say weren’t coming out, so she pivoted to the ones she could. “...Well, no. I guess you all might be the only ones who could understand what I’ve been seeing.”

“You mean… the Dark Hour, right?” Yukari asked.

Hamuko nodded, then looked up at Yukari. “Is… that what it’s called? I had this stupid name for it when I was a kid, but I never knew its real name.”

“What did you call it?” Yukari asked, tilting her head.

“Green Time.”

Yukari let out a sputtering laugh. Hamuko puffed her cheeks out in irritation.

“That name sucks,” Yukari said, wiping away a tear. “To be honest, I’ve only known about the Dark Hour for a month, and I still can’t summon a Persona without having trouble. I thought I’d be the one protecting you that night, but… well, your power was amazing. Kind of scary, but amazing.”

Hamuko rubbed at her temple. She wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about that too much. Most of what she remembered was the… feeling of it. The rush of power. The euphoria. The feeling of something clawing its way out of her throat.

There was something about its face. Something familiar. Something she couldn’t put her finger on. When she tried, the thought faltered halfway and made her temples hurt.

“Those monsters you fought are called Shadows. They’re our enemy,” Yukari continued. “I bet you’ve probably guessed by now, but you didn’t end up in our dorm by accident. We’re all there to fight back against them… Well, I’m mostly there because I want to find out the truth of what happened ten years ago. But I can’t help but think these two things are connected, so… here I am.”

“I think that’s admirable,” Hamuko said.

“Really?” Yukari asked. Hamuko nodded.

“I don’t really get a lot of this, but it sounds to me like you’ve got a reason to fight that you’re proud of,” Hamuko said. Yukari’s face flushed, and she turned back toward the ocean.

“W-Well… you don’t have to worry about not understanding for much longer. Mitsuru-san wants to talk to you soon about everything, actually. You don’t have to join us, but if you decide you want to…” Yukari leaned over the railing and pressed her fingers together.

“I’ll think about it,” Hamuko said. She smiled. “Thanks.”

Yukari turned toward her. “Huh? What for?”

“For being honest with me,” she said.

Yukari turned back toward the sea, and Hamuko couldn’t get a good look at her face. She walked over to the railing too and leaned onto it in the same way that Yukari had. In the setting sun, the sea looked almost black. Not like how it had glowed the night before. Her thoughts drifted. So many strange things had happened just in the past day. That boy, the tower, the note… She pulled a hand off of the railing and slipped it into her pocket, touching the note. The note…

“...Hey, can I ask you something?” Hamuko asked. She pulled out the note and held it out to Yukari. “I found this earlier. It looked like whoever left it wanted me to find it. Do you know anything about this?”

Yukari took the sheet in hand and unfolded it. Her face scrunched up as she looked it over.

“No, nothing…” Yukari said. “But this stuff about the Shadows and Ikutsuki-san…” She looked up at Hamuko. “I mean, yeah, his jokes are kind of lame, but he’s been nothing but helpful to us…”

She bit her lip. Despite her words, she sounded unsure. That feeling of guilty suspicion that had hit Hamuko when she’d first read the note was coming back again. There was something going on here. Whoever had sent her this had wanted to make sure that she knew about this.

“Hey,” Yukari said. “Let’s… keep this between us. Just to be safe.”

Hamuko nodded. Yukari handed the note back to her, and Hamuko slipped it back into her pocket.

They left from there to grab a train back to the dorm. As they waited at the platform, Hamuko couldn’t help but notice that Yukari seemed to be deep in thought. Hamuko didn’t bother her on the ride back. Her own sense of unease had only gotten stronger after that conversation…

~ X ~

The room Yukari led her into was on the floor above the girls’ rooms. Hamuko vaguely remembered passing this door during the night of the attack, but she’d had more important things to worry about at the time than this room she hadn’t been in. As she walked in, the massive bank of consoles taking up one wall immediately caught her attention. This had been up here this whole time? She hadn’t even thought to look in this room… if she had, she probably would’ve gone running that first night.

“Thank you for joining us,” Ikutsuki said. Hamuko snapped back to attention, facing the meeting table and couches in the center of the room. Right, she needed to stay on track. “Please, take a seat.”

He motioned to the couches. Mitsuru sat alone on the couch to the chairman’s left, while Minato and a white-haired boy Hamuko hadn’t seen before sat on ottomans to his right. Her breath caught a little. She hadn’t seen Minato since that dream she’d had right after the attack on the dorm. Yukari took a seat on the far end of the couch from Mitsuru. After some hesitation, Hamuko took the ottoman between Minato and the white-haired guy.

She tried to avoid Ikutsuki’s gaze as he continued. She didn’t think she could escape this conversation, but her thoughts kept going back to the note she’d found. She slipped her hand into her pocket and touched the note lightly as the conversation continued.

“Before we begin… I believe I mentioned him before, but this is Akihiko Sanada,” the chairman said, motioning to the white-haired boy.

“How ya doin’?” Akihiko asked.

“Oh, uh… good,” Hamuko said. She hadn’t been paying too much attention. She’d noticed that Minato’s hands were balled up in his pants pockets… but when she looked at his face, it was calm…

“Now… I’m glad to see you’re okay,” the chairman said. “It seems that you wore yourself out quite a bit during that fight. You did well taking on that big Shadow by yourself.”

Hamuko squeezed her hand. She wasn’t sure she wanted to talk about how she did that too much.

“I came here today because there is something I wanted to talk to you about,” Ikutsuki said, and he, Mitsuru, and Akihiko began to explain…

The Dark Hour was a time between two days, where time stops, electronics stop functioning, and most people became encased in coffins. That much Hamuko knew. Shadows were monsters that roamed during the Dark Hour and fed upon anyone who wasn’t in a coffin. People who were fed upon by Shadows became like living corpses. Those were the Lost – the people with Apathy Syndrome Hamuko had seen around town.

They were the “Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad”, or “SEES” for short. On paper, they were a school club, but in truth they were an organization for fighting Shadows with the power of Persona. Shadows could only be defeated by Persona users – Hamuko tried not to think about what must have happened in the past for them to come to that realization.

Mitsuru stood up and reached under her seat, pulling out a steel case. She placed it on the table so that it was in front of Hamuko and unlatched it. Inside the case was a gun – and Hamuko’s heart skipped a beat. It was the same gun she’d picked up on the dormitory roof. Next to it was a red band, similar to the bands she’d seen other clubs at other schools pin to their sleeves during club activities. Around the band were the letters “S.E.E.S.”

“To put it simply, we’d like you to lend us your strength,” Mitsuru said.

“Um…” Hamuko said.

“Don’t worry about it too much. You can just hang around for a bit and see what’s goin’ on,” Akihiko said.

“Please. We need your power,” Mitsuru said.

Yukari gave Mitsuru an uncomfortable look. “Hang on, you can’t ask her like that! It’d be nice if she joined, but…”

There was an uncomfortable pressure in the room, and Hamuko found herself looking toward Minato as an escape. He met her gaze quietly, and behind his eyes, she could feel an… understanding. He didn’t say anything, but Hamuko felt like he was urging her on somehow…

“Okay,” Hamuko said, looking toward the others. “I’ll join.”

Just like that, the pressure seemed to go away. Yukari let out a breath and slumped back into the couch while Mitsuru took her seat. Akihiko held out a hand for Hamuko to shake.

“Welcome aboard,” he said. Hamuko shook his hand lightly before slumping back into her seat.

“Thank you so much. I’m really glad,” Ikutsuki said. “Oh, I almost forgot, about your room assignment… Why don’t you just stay here, in your current room? I don’t know what the holdup was, but I guess it worked out in the end.”

Yukari looked over at Ikutsuki, looking exasperated. “Wasn’t that because… oh, never mind…”

~ X ~

Before long, the room cleared out. There was one more thing Hamuko wanted to do before she went to bed that night, though, so she followed the boys down to the second floor.

“Minato!” she called out from the stairwell. He looked up at her, blinking. “Can we talk for a second?”

He turned toward her, slipping his hands back into his pockets. She hopped down the stairs and over to him.

“Somethin’ up?” Akihiko asked, looking over his shoulder at them.

“It’s fine, we’ll just be a moment,” Minato said. Akihiko shrugged and walked off to his room. He slipped inside, leaving the two of them in the mini-lounge at the landing.

Now that it was just the two of them, Hamuko felt a little bit of that courage seep out of her. Minato wasn’t quite looking at her, but he wasn’t running like he had been for the past couple of days, so that was something. But the longer she stood there without saying anything, the more she felt this… awkward tension starting to fill the air. She needed to say something while she had him here.

“I, uh, just wanted to say…” Hamuko said, scratching the side of her cheek. “Thanks for saving me the other night.”

Minato blinked. “You don’t have to thank me. I didn’t do much.”

“I passed out like right after that, but… you jumped in front of me and fought off those Shadows, didn’t you?” she said. “Plus, you told us where those ones in the dorm were coming from. That could’ve gone a lot worse if it weren’t for you.”

“I didn’t…” Minato shook his head. “I just moved without thinking. That’s all.”

Hamuko didn’t really believe that, but she wasn’t going to force the issue. It felt like his self-confidence was kind of low… if she pressed him too hard, he might run off again. She couldn’t have that now, when she finally had him stopping to talk to her…

As annoyed as she was about him avoiding her for so long, she had more important questions. Like why they had the same Persona. And that contract she saw at the Velvet Room… it looked so old. How long had he been fighting for? If it was a really long time, no wonder he’d known what to do and had been able to ask her about the contract before. But that just raised even more questions – what was he doing here? Had he been alone this whole time? Did the others know?

Her fingers slipped into her pocket. Had Minato written that note?

“...Hey.”

Hamuko pulled her hand from her pocket. Minato awkwardly looked away from her as he kept on.

“I’m sorry about avoiding you,” he said. “I just had some stuff I had to work out in my head.”

“It’s fine,” Hamuko said, waving him off.

“I shouldn’t’ve taken it out on you. That’s my –”

“Seriously, it’s fine,” Hamuko said, cutting him off. “You don’t have to explain yourself.”

Minato’s shoulders raised, and for a moment, he looked like he was going to keep going. Then they relaxed, he looked away, and he just said, “...Okay.”

For a few seconds, there was just a moment of silence between them. Hamuko scratched her cheek again.

“Anyways… that’s all I really wanted to talk about,” Hamuko said. “I’m gonna go catch some Z’s. Have a good night.”

She waved to Minato and went upstairs without looking back.

~ X ~

The next day passed uneventfully. She’d had to have some conversations with her teachers about make-up work – she’d missed a lot of class, after all. Some of her classmates asked why she’d been out for so long, but the “sudden illness” excuse worked on most of them. Junpei, meanwhile, was playing coy about something when Hamuko ran into him on the way into school that morning, but she didn’t really have time to press him on that.

After school, however, it was down to business.

“There has been unusual activity in Tartarus,” Mitsuru said when they entered the meeting room that night.

“Tartarus is the nest of Shadows. We have never had enough people to explore it fully, but now our number has suddenly jumped to five,” Ikutsuki explained. “Therefore, while it is a bit earlier than I initially planned, I believe it would be worth investigating this. It would provide an opportunity for you all to get some experience in the field, as well.”

“So we’re going into Tartarus…” Yukari murmured.

Hamuko bit her lip. On one hand, she was curious about what was going on in the tower, especially since it had been pointed out to her. But on the other hand… she felt jittery. Her last real combat “experience” had been that night at the dorm. Though… even if they were just going into the tower, it couldn’t go any worse than that first night had, right?

“Finally…” Akihiko said. “It’s about time we get to head in there.”

“Akihiko, since you’re injured , you’ll only be coming as far as the entrance,” Mitsuru said.

Hamuko blinked and looked toward Akihiko. She hadn’t really noticed last time they’d had a meeting, but now that she was taking a closer look… was he wearing an arm brace under his shirt? He must have gotten hurt when the dorm was attacked last week…

“Not to worry, Akihiko. You can keep me company while the others are in the tower!” Ikutsuki said.

Minato suddenly straightened up.

“You’re coming with us?” he asked.

“Yes, considering the circumstances, I would like to see the condition of the tower for myself. However, I won’t be entering with you. After all, I can’t use a Persona…” Ikutsuki admitted.

Hamuko looked away, playing with her fingers. She wasn’t so sure about all of this…

~ X ~

They left the dormitory late that evening, Akihiko carrying a duffel bag of weaponry over his shoulder for them. As they took the train over to Port Island, Hamuko couldn’t help but think about how odd this probably looked. A bunch of high school kids and their adult chaperone, “airsoft” pistols strapped to their waists, riding the last train to the island after curfew… Was it more or less suspicious that they were out on club activities this late at night? She wasn’t sure…

A couple times on the ride over, she tried to start a conversation, but neither Yukari nor Minato seemed to be in the mood to talk too much. Considering how Yukari had frozen up that night at the dorm, she wondered if Yukari was just as nervous as she was…

As they walked through Port Island and the Dark Hour grew closer, Hamuko just felt more and more confused. They were just taking the path to school… why were they heading to Gekkoukan? Before long, they reached the school gates and stopped in front of them.

“Why are we here?” Hamuko asked as she looked around. Akihiko checked his watch.

“Just a second,” he said, grinning. “It’s almost time.”

The second hand on his watch clicked once. Twice. And then stopped.

The air suddenly took on a sickly green color, blood beginning to drip down the walls around the school’s grounds. A great groan rang through the air. The building shuddered and then began to rise. Massive structures burst from the earth and twisted and wrapped around the school as it grew until the original structure was nowhere to be seen. It kept growing, kept twisting, massive buttresses forming out of the expanding structure as it rose to dizzying heights.

Finally, the tower’s growth creaked to a stop. Hamuko took a step back, and then another, craning her neck to try and take the whole thing in. It was the exact same tower that she’d spied from the hospital window.

This was Tartarus.

Chapter Text

Hamuko couldn’t help but stare, mouth agape, as she tried to take in the sheer scale of the tower. The dizzying mass of jumbled buildings loomed impossibly high overhead. A marble aqueduct jutted out from the structure some fifty stories up, casting a deep shadow directly onto them. Hamuko swallowed a lump and went to follow after Mitsuru as she unlocked the gate into the courtyard.

“So… our school turned into this? That’s strange…” Hamuko said as they began to approach the tower’s entrance.“Do you know why?”

“No,” Mitsuru said. She said it without any room for argument, in a way that made Hamuko’s eyebrows furrow. She pushed open the large set of double doors leading into the tower, and they walked in.

A bridge led from the entrance to a circular plaza overlooking a wide pit. It was too deep to see the bottom, and Hamuko had to fight to keep from looking too far over the bridge’s edge. The structures that made up the tower’s walls were visible at the far edges of the pit, groaning as they moved. The ceiling rose far above their heads, stretching out far beyond the plaza’s edges. A dazzlingly bright light shone from a hole in the ceiling above and onto a stairwell at the plaza’s center. The stairs led up to a massive, intricate gold and marble clock. A doorway in the clock’s face led further in, though Hamuko could see no point at which it connected to the floors above.

At the base of the stairs was a motorcycle. That caught Hamuko’s eye – most technology didn’t work in the Dark Hour, so what was it doing here? Did it work? She went to approach it, only to be distracted by a strange, fountain-like device near where the bridge met the plaza. It was made of gold and seemed to have a dial on it, but it did not respond when she touched it. She turned around, intending to join the others, only to catch sight of something she hadn’t noticed before.

There was a door on the other side of the plaza. It was blue, and appeared to lead to nowhere – there were no walls, just the frame and the door itself. Curious, Hamuko began to cross the chamber toward it, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

“Later,” Minato murmured. “The others can’t see it.”

Hamuko looked toward the group gathered at the stairs’ base and realized he was right. Every time anyone else looked in their direction, their eyes just skated past the door.

“Hey, hurry up, you two!” Akihiko called. Hamuko skipped over to the stairwell, Minato following close behind.

Yukari milled about around the pillars holding the clock up, squinting up at it. “This is really creepy…” she said as she wandered back over to the group.

“Have you never been inside?” Hamuko asked, frowning.

“For a long time, Akihiko and Mitsuru were the only combat-ready members of SEES,” Ikutsuki explained. “Because of that, we did not have enough people to launch a full-scale exploration, and had to suffice with eliminating whatever Shadows wandered out of the tower. Now that our number has jumped to five, we can start to explore in earnest.”

“Although tonight’s scope will be limited, since there’s only three of you going in.” Mitsuru turned her head toward Akihiko, who scowled.

“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled, stepping back.

Hamuko looked over toward the others. Yukari fidgeted with her Evoker, running her finger cautiously along the grip. Her lips were drawn in a thin line. Minato had his hands slipped into his pockets and was tapping his foot impatiently. He glanced over toward Ikutsuki for a moment, and then quickly broke the look. If Ikutsuki noticed that his presence seemed to be making Minato anxious, he didn’t show it. He simply sat back and let them talk amongst themselves, occasionally glancing at his watch as he did.

Suddenly, Akihiko stepped up to the three of them. Hamuko immediately snapped to attention.

“Before we go any further, we’re going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions in the field,” Akihiko said. He turned toward Minato. “So, did you think about what Mitsuru asked you?”

“What?” Hamuko turned toward Minato. His head was bowed, his face hidden behind a curtain of hair.

“Why him?” Yukari asked. “I know he’s fought them before, but…”

“He took charge and didn’t even hesitate to summon his Persona that night. You two…” Akihiko looked at Yukari and Hamuko. “You think you could do the same?”

Hamuko’s hand drifted to the Evoker at her waist. When she touched it, she felt all too aware of its weight. It was hard to forget how it had felt to put it to her head and pull the trigger. Even so… she felt like she could. She looked to Yukari and saw that her face had gone white.

“These are Shadows we’re talking about. Without your Persona, you’re toast,” Akihiko said.

“I know that!” Yukari snapped.

Hamuko looked back toward Minato. He hadn’t said a word. She couldn’t deny that Akihiko was right – Minato had already proven his skills – but the way he was just standing there, not saying a thing, put a sinking feeling in her gut. He didn’t look like he wanted this.

She took a deep breath and turned back toward Akihiko, clenching her fists. “If Minato doesn’t want to do it, I’ll--”

“Just for tonight.”

Minato raised his head and pulled his hair out of his face, a resigned determination in his eyes. Hamuko unclenched her fists, opening her mouth to object – and closed it as Minato stepped up to Akihiko. Akihiko just gave him a nod.

With the leader decided, Akihiko dropped the duffel bag and unzipped it. From within, the three of them retrieved their weapons – a short sword for Minato, a bow for Yukari, and a naginata for Hamuko. It was the same one Hamuko had been given back at the dorm the night of the incident, though she hadn’t had a chance to use it back then.

As Yukari strapped her quiver to her back, Hamuko looked over at Minato, trying to think of something to say to him, only to feel the words die in her throat. She felt like he was being browbeaten into taking on this role. But at the same time, anything she could ask him to try and find out for sure would just come off like she was jealous – and she wasn’t sure that she wasn’t. So instead she looked back toward the three who weren’t coming up with them. Ikutsuki was checking his watch again… and for a second, his eyes flicked toward the three of them.

Hamuko felt a chill go down her back. She quickly turned back toward the others as Minato began to walk up the stairs. She scrambled to catch up, Yukari trailing behind her, and the three quickly reached the passage in the clock. Blue curtains billowed past the doorway, hiding whatever lay past them from view.

“Once we go through, we can’t come back this way,” Minato said as he put his hand on the door frame. “Are you ready?”

The two of them nodded. Without another word, Minato pushed through and into Tartarus. Hamuko followed after. The cloth was heavier than it had looked from the outside, and for some reason, the sensation reminded her of a movie she’d once watched. Something about a wardrobe that was a doorway to another world…

When she pushed past the last curtain, she emerged into a hallway. The walls were lined with clouded green windows, and the floor was tiled in a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. For some reason, Hamuko felt like she was back at school. She wasn’t quite sure why – it sure didn’t look like the halls at Gekkoukan. Maybe it was because the hallway was the exact width of the ones at school, or because the windows were spaced at the exact same distances as the ones in the classrooms. There were no lights in the hallway, but the sickly green radiance of the moon kept the hall lit well enough.

Suddenly, Yukari bumped into her from behind.

“Oh, sorry… I didn’t see you there,” Yukari said, stepping around her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, shouldn’t’ve been--” Hamuko stopped mid-sentence as she turned. The entrance they’d passed through was gone, replaced by a wall.

Just as she had that realization, the communicator in her ear crackled to life.

“Can you hear me?” said Mitsuru through the device.

“Loud and clear,” Minato said.

“I’ll be providing audio backup from here on out. Based on your current position, you should expect to encounter enemies at any second,” Mitsuru said. “They shouldn’t be too tough, but it seems like there are more around than normal. This may be why the tower was giving off strange readings tonight. Proceed with caution.”

“Got it,” Yukari said. The feed crackled off, and she let out a grumble. “Why is she always like that…?”

Hamuko didn’t really know what to say to that, so she turned to Minato. To her surprise, she found him frowning, staring off into the hallways.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Nothing. Might just be my imagination,” he said. “Let’s explore the floor, but keep an eye out for anything that will let us return to the entrance.”

“Like what?” Yukari asked. Minato shrugged.

Before Hamuko could say anything about how it would help if he could give some more detail, a squelching sound caught her attention. Minato stood up straighter, holding up a hand, and slowly crept toward an intersection further down the hallway. Hamuko gripped her naginata tighter and followed.

A small crowd of blob-like Shadows crawled down the hallway. Their blue masks resembled the one the Shadow from the dorm had held, and they vaguely resembled it in shape too, in so far that their only limbs were arms. Where the Shadow from the dorm had been nothing but a tangle of limbs, however, these Shadows were mostly blobs of sludge, pulling themselves along on two gangly looking limbs. Minato kept his hand up as he peeked around the corner as the blobs continued to crawl down the hall.

The moment the Shadows passed their hiding spot, Minato charged. He swung his sword down toward the back of one Shadow, cleaving its body in twain. It faded into dust as Minato pulled his sword free.

“Hamuko!” Minato yelled.

Hamuko grabbed her Evoker as she ran forward, pressing it to her temple as she ran. For the briefest of seconds, a jolt of fear ran through her. What if what happened on the roof happened again? What if the gun was somehow loaded? Pushing back her fear, she pulled the trigger. A fountain of glass erupted from the side of her head and floated away, forming into Orpheus. The Persona strummed its harp. A fireball flared up from its strings and blasted into another Shadow, obliterating it.

“Yukari!”

“O-Oh, right!” Yukari brought her bow up, nocking an arrow as the third Shadow started to advance upon Hamuko. She released the string, and the arrow smashed through the Shadow’s mask, causing it to reel backwards. Before it could recover, Minato delivered a decisive stab to its face, shattering the mask. He yanked his sword back as the Shadow began to fade into dust.

“Good job,” he said, flicking the ichor off of his sword. “Let’s do that a few more times.”

~ X ~

Much of the next few minutes went by in a blur. There had been no shortage of Shadows around, and at Minato’s direction, the fights largely went smoothly.They’d come up on an intersection, and he’d tilt his head up like he was listening for something. If he motioned for them to follow, then there was an equal chance that there was either a Shadow with its back to them, or the path was clear.

Hamuko felt like she was fairly comfortable using her Persona. Orpheus hadn’t exploded into a completely different monster at any point during their battles, so she was pretty sure it wasn’t going to happen at all. Maybe that time on the roof had just been some kind of fluke.

Yukari, on the other hand, still hadn’t touched her Evoker at all. Hamuko thought back to when they’d evacuated to the roof – how Yukari had hesitated to fire her Evoker, and the shock when she’d been disarmed. She understood. It was hard to work up that courage to fire it for the first time.

As Hamuko wrenched her naginata free from a dissolving blob-like Shadow, she wondered if she should say something – do something to help her get the courage to take that step. As she went to step toward Yukari, however, something else caught her eye.

Minato was standing apart from the two of them, his head tilted up. His brows were furrowed, like he was unsure what he was hearing. He suddenly turned on his heel, creeping to the end of the hall and staring down one hallway.

“Minato?” Hamuko asked. “What’s—”

“Shh.” Minato put a hand up. This did not reassure Hamuko, especially as she got close to him and saw how pale his face was and the sweat dripping down his brow. Hamuko began to approach him, reaching up to grab his shoulder – and then jerked back.

“Look out!” she yelled.

Minato fell backwards, narrowly avoiding the swinging horn of a massive, beetle Shadow as it charged in. Hamuko took another couple of steps back as it reared up, her mind racing. Where had it come from?! What could she do?! She had to do something –

“I can do it!”

There was a sound like shattering glass. A gust of wind slammed into the beetle, knocking it off its feet and onto its back. It squealed, its feet scrambling in the air. Hamuko swung toward Yukari.

Floating above Yukari’s head was a throne shaped like a bull’s head. Seated in the throne, legs bound, arms chained to the bull’s horns, was a woman, her long blonde hair billowing in the phantom wind. Yukari had the Evoker pressed to her forehead still, and breathed heavily.

Minato pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his sword. “Hamuko, with me!”

The two of them rushed in, Minato delivering a stab to the beetle’s belly, and Hamuko bringing her naginata down in a decisive swipe. She cut straight through its midsection, and the beetle dissolved into dust.

The second the beetle dissolved, Hamuko suddenly felt like she was… elsewhere. She could sense something – a second presence – a woman, maybe? She felt herself reach out to this second presence… and then the fog was gone, and something slid into place next to Orpheus in her mind. With it came a name – Asparas.

What… what just happened? Hamuko looked toward Minato, wanting to ask him, only for a soft sigh from Yukari to catch her attention. She looked to Yukari just as she pulled the Evoker from her forehead, breathing softly.

“Yukari, that was incredible!” Hamuko said. Yukari looked up at her with a wry smile.

“Was it? I just… kind of thought to myself, ‘I can’t hesitate anymore, I’ve gotta be brave,’ and… it happened,” Yukari said. She looked toward Minato. “Are you okay?”

Minato gave a small jolt. He’d been looking down the hall again. “Oh – Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just… caught me by surprise.”

Hamuko frowned. She stepped up to him, putting on a serious expression.

“What’s going on? You’ve been… really distracted all of the sudden,” Hamuko asked. Minato shook his head.

“Might just be hearing things. Maybe we should go,” Minato said.

Hamuko sighed. “Hearing what? I don’t hear any--”

She stopped.

The atmosphere had changed in an instant. She’d stopped paying attention at some point, but now she couldn’t help but notice that the sounds of the tower creaking and Shadows moving in distant corridors had stopped. Like a noisy heater had suddenly turned off – going from not being aware of the noise at all to being surrounded by deafening silence.

She stared into the darkness of the hall. She couldn’t see anything, yet she had the faintest feeling that something was moving back there. Hamuko squinted, trying to make it out in the distance.

From somewhere in that darkness came the sound of clanking chains.

“Run,” Minato said.

Yukari turned to look at him. “What?”

The sound grew closer. An absurd sense of longing and excitement rose in Hamuko’s chest, mingling with an overpowering sense of fear that paralyzed her. Slowly, a figure passed through the beam of sickly green light coming through a window, and Hamuko’s breath caught.

It floated above the ground, its dark leather coat fluttering in the light wind. A bloodstained cloth sack was tied around its head. A single eye stared through a hole in the sack, and it was staring at them. Chains floated in crisscrossing halos around its chest, clanking as they moved. In its hands, it carried two long-barreled revolvers.

As the figure raised one of those revolvers toward her, Hamuko’s heart gave a single loud thump.

“GET DOWN!”

A gunshot rocketed through the room, tearing through Minato’s shoulder as he threw himself over her. They slammed to the ground, Minato biting back a scream as he pushed himself off of Hamuko, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up with him. Hamuko scrambled to grab her naginata, but her fingers only brushed the handle before she was pulled to her feet.

The sound of chains grew closer. Minato let go of Hamuko’s wrist and ran, pressing his hand to his bleeding shoulder. Hamuko ran after, her heart thumping loudly in her ears.

A bolt of lightning ricocheted through the hallway, and Hamuko ducked behind a corner. The bolt struck the end of the hallway in a bright flash that left a ghost on her vision.

“What’s going on?! Takeba, report!”

They did not stop to respond. Minato dashed down the halls in a zig-zag pattern, the sound of chains echoing all around them, until they finally reached…

...a dead end.

Hamuko’s eyes widened, and she spun around, only to see that the figure was no longer there. She’d thought it had been right behind them, but… it must have been the sound of chains making her think it was closer than it was. They echoed through the halls unnaturally, making her hair stand on end.

Minato fell into a sitting position against the wall. The right side of his shirt was covered in blood, and his skin was so pale that it almost looked like porcelain. Yukari crouched beside him, reaching for her Evoker with shaking hands.

“I-Io,” she whispered as she placed the Evoker’s barrel against her forehead. “Help me.”

The Persona appeared in a burst of shattered glass. A white light appeared around Minato, and his breathing seemed to steady a bit. He lifted his hand away from his shoulder, and it came away too damp, making him hiss and press it back in place.

“This… might be a bit much for you,” he said.

“Don’t say that!” Yukari snapped. Hamuko’s breath caught as Yukari lifted her Evoker again and summoned her Persona once more. She… didn’t know if Yukari’s Persona was strong enough to help Minato.

Her head swam. She could only think of… twisted metal. Bodies. Herself, unharmed, in a sea of bloodied asphalt.

“Takeba, Arisato, do you respond?”

Hamuko shakily lifted a hand to her communicator… and swallowed.

“We – We were attacked by a Shadow,” Hamuko said.

“The Reaper,” Minato hissed.

Hamuko looked down at him. “Minato got shot. I-I think we lost it, but we’re at a dead end.”

“You need to retreat. There should be an access point on that floor. Do you remember seeing it?”

“It’s down the left from where we were attacked,” Minato said. “But it’s… past the Reaper.”

Hamuko swam through her memories. She vaguely remembered seeing a glowing yellow device in the floor not too far from where they’d been attacked. That must have been it. She looked back at Minato and Yukari. The bloodstain on Minato’s shirt was spreading…

There had to be something she could do. She couldn’t just sit there and watch him die…

Asparas pressed itself to the front of Hamuko’s mind. She could feel a tether between it and Orpheus where she hadn’t before. If she concentrated on that, she felt like she could pull both of them out at once. Why was she noticing this now? Did her Personas want her to summon them at the same time? It was worth trying… after all, she couldn’t possibly make things worse.

She put her Evoker to her temple, grabbed that tether, and ripped it free.

The force of summoning rocketed through her head like a grenade. Hamuko staggered and fell against the wall as the two Personas took form in front of her. As Orpheus strummed a song on its harp, Asparas began to dance around the three of them. As the Personas began to fade, a shimmering wave of energy fell over them. Hamuko felt some of her aches beginning to fade, but more than that, she felt… nimble . Alert. It was a weird feeling – like she’d taken a shot of espresso.

Minato let out a huff, a wry smile crossing his face. It was like he was saying, “That’s more like it.” He threw his arm around Yukari’s shoulder, and she helped pull him to his feet.

“What was that…?” Yukari asked.

“I don’t know, but… I think we should get going before it wears off,” Hamuko said. “I’ll distract the Reaper. You guys make a run for the access point.”

“That’s risky,” Mitsuru chimed in. “Is moving as a group not an option?”

“I’m… not sure I can move on my own right now. I’ve lost a lot of blood. This might be our best bet,” Minato admitted. He looked toward Hamuko. “Go, before the Cadenza wears off.”

Hamuko nodded. She holstered her Evoker, squeezed her hands into fists, and dashed down the hallway.

She turned a corner, and then another. The sound of chains in the distance rattled all the way down to her bones. The further she ran, the more sure she was that it would suddenly appear from the darkness, or that she’d hear a gunshot and it would all be over before she could even think about it. The only saving grace was there didn’t seem to be any other Shadows around – maybe they’d left so that the Reaper could have its hunt. She wasn’t going to complain about it.

“Hamuko.”

Hamuko dropped behind a corner and put her hand to her ear. “I’m here.”

“I’ve been tracking its movements. It seems like it’s been patrolling the area around the stairs. While you distract it, I’ll lead Arisato and Takeba to the access point.”

“Got it,” Hamuko said, and started off down the hall again. After another turn, she heard the sound of chains jingling somewhere nearby, and knew she was close. She swallowed. No time for hesitation. Time to go.

“C--” She breathed in. “Come and get me, you bastard! I know I’m the one you want!”

The chains stopped, then started again. The Reaper emerged from the darkness, its eye looking her over with cold precision.

Hamuko turned and ran. A loud crack erupted behind her. Something whizzed past her ear as she ducked to the side, and she didn’t stay long enough to see where it hit the wall. She kept running, dashing, and ducking down hallways and through rooms. As she passed an intersection, she heard frenzied, limping footsteps – she must have passed Minato and Yukari’s hiding spot.

The air crackled with tension, setting her air on end. She threw herself forward as a lightning bolt slammed to the ground where she’d been only a second earlier. Too close. Way too close.

At the end of the hall, Hamuko saw an illuminated room, a stairway in its middle leading up to the next floor. She ducked into the room and under the stairs, breathing heavily. The clanking chains slid into the room, and she shifted, ready to bolt. Then, the Reaper poked its head around the side of the stairs.

Hamuko charged. She slammed into it, knocking it backwards. Its gun fired, and the bullet ricocheted against the ceiling and slammed into the floor. Before it could recover, Hamuko ran into the hallway. Mitsuru’s voice crackled in her ear again.

“The others are almost to the access point. Go!”

Hamuko turned a corner – and immediately felt the energy start to drain out of her. “Shit! No, no no no no –“

The chains were gaining on her. She pushed her legs as hard as they would go, but the spell’s kickback was hitting her hard. She could hear them getting closer and closer and closer…

And then she saw it. A small, rectangular yellow device in the floor. Hamuko pushed herself for one final sprint, stretching her arms out, and ran right into it.

A light rushed up around her. When she stumbled out of it, she was no longer in the hallway, but in Tartarus’s lobby. Minato and Yukari were catching their breath in front of her, Minato still clinging to Yukari’s shoulder for dear life. The second the light faded, Mitsuru and Akihiko stood up from where they had been sitting on the stairs and ran over to them. Akihiko pulled Minato off of Yukari and half-carried him over to the stairs, where he carefully propped him up on them. Mitsuru trailed after, reaching for her Evoker.

“Akihiko, give me a hand,” Mitsuru said.

“Got it.”

A masked woman with a rapier and a burly man with long, blonde hair appeared behind the two. A white light – brighter and fuller than that which Io had cast – flowed from the two Personas into Minato’s body. He let out a groan, putting a hand to his shoulder.

Hamuko didn’t watch the healing process for long. The adrenaline crash hit her hard, making her dizzy. She crouched down and put her head between her knees, taking in slow, even breaths. When she felt more stable, she leaned back and took a seat on the floor, keeping her head dipped low.

After a few moments, something metallic clang to the ground, and Minato gave a sharp hiss of pain. She looked over to see Minato opening and closing his hand a couple of times before giving Mitsuru and Akihiko a nod.

“How do you feel?” Mitsuru asked.

“Sore. And itchy,” Minato said.

Mitsuru’s Persona disappeared, Akihiko’s following suit a half-second later, as Mitsuru said, “That’s normal, unfortunately. Do you feel like you have full use of your arm?”

Minato pulled his arm to the side, then up, and suddenly winced, lowering it. He shook his head.

“Looks like you’ll need some time to heal,” Akihiko said with a sigh.

“I’ll arrange for you to see a doctor in the morning. In any case, you’re not on death’s door anymore,” Mitsuru said.

Ikutsuki, who until this moment had been sitting side-saddle on the motorcycle at the stairs’ base and watching this scene play out, suddenly stood up. “I must ask… what happened up there? While I believe Mitsuru had a full view due to her Persona’s abilities, Akihiko and I could only hear the screaming through the radio. It seems like you have gone through a lot.”

“It was my fault,” Hamuko said, getting to her feet.

She recounted their time in the tower in as much detail as she could, explaining how everything had been normal until the Reaper appeared, how she’d frozen up, and how Minato had saved her life. As she ran down the list of what all had gone wrong, and how she’d had to distract the Reaper so the others could escape, Ikutsuki just watched her, his expression inscrutable. When Hamuko finished telling her tale, her shoulders just slumped. She suddenly felt very tired.

“...I see,” was all Ikutsuki had to say when she was done.

“That thing was way outside of our paygrade… is all of Tartarus like this?” Yukari asked, her voice quivering a little. Something about that sent a little jolt of panic through Hamuko. Had – Had she messed things up enough that they couldn’t go back in at all? Yukari was doing a good job of holding it back, but she sounded terrified...

“No,” Minato said, scowling. “It shows up if we’re on a floor for too long. I must not have been keeping track of time well enough. The best thing to do is run if we see it.”

“Or beat it,” Akihiko said, smirking. Minato shot him a glare.

“None of us are strong enough to fight it. Trust me,” Minato said.

Mitsuru crossed her arms. “I suppose that your confidence in this matter is also part of the information that you can’t share with me yet?”

Minato just nodded at her. Akihiko clicked his tongue and turned away.

For a few seconds, there was just silence between all of them. Ikutsuki checked his watch again, then stepped over toward Mitsuru.

“Perhaps we should leave this conversation for tomorrow? The Dark Hour is almost over, and we still have that other matter to take care of in the morning,” Ikutsuki said. Mitsuru let out a sigh.

“Yes, you may be right,” she said.

Before turning to leave, Ikutsuki turned back toward the others. “Minato-kun, Yukari-chan, Hamuko-chan. I truly apologize for sending you into Tartarus so early, and tonight’s failure is wholly my fault. Mitsuru had intended to wait for when we had more support before sending you in, but I thought that now that we have three members, tonight would be a good opportunity for you to obtain some field experience. Had I realized how dangerous the tower would be in its instability, I would not have sent you in. For that, I truly apologize.”

Hamuko let out a breath. What… what could she say to that? As much as she wanted to be angry at him, the apology seemed sincere. The note that she’d found before weighed heavy on her thoughts. Could she even trust this sincerity? Or was it the note’s writer that she needed to distrust?

Minato looked up at Ikutsuki, grit his teeth, and looked away.

“It’s fine,” he said, and stood up. Without a word, he slipped his hands into his pockets and began to walk for the exit. Mitsuru let out a sigh.

“Yes, I suppose we should leave too,” she said, and made to follow. Without another word, the six of them sidled out of the tower and into the sickly-green night, thoughts of the night’s events still heavy on Hamuko’s mind.

Chapter Text

When Hamuko woke up the next day, it was almost noon. She rolled toward the edge of the bed with a groan, her muscles protesting every movement. Her limbs felt heavy, and there was this fog in her head that made her feel like a cold was coming on. After a moment, she realized she was still wearing her uniform – she must have collapsed right into bed without changing the night before. Every single ounce of her body was telling her that she should fall right back into it and sleep for the rest of the day.

Before she could give into that urge, there was a loud knocking at her door.

“It’s Yukari! Are you awake?”

With a groan, Hamuko slipped out of the covers and sluggishly made her way to the door. When she opened it, Yukari flinched back a little, giving her a sympathetic wince.

“Oh, I guess you weren’t… Sorry,” she said. “Um… how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright. Just got up, actually,” Hamuko said.

“Really? That makes me feel a little better,” Yukari said. “I just thought I’d check in on you. Last night was… crazy. Even more than the night the dorm was attacked. And Minato…”

A pang of guilt shot through Hamuko’s chest. Yukari shook her head, her voice steadying.

“Oh, right, speaking of Minato. He and Mitsuru-senpai left for the hospital first thing this morning. I was going to go out too, but Akihiko-senpai actually asked me to help him with something. Something about a new member we’re getting… Do you wanna come with?”

Hamuko froze. Part of her wanted to say yes, but the other part – a dark part that grabbed at her chest like a vicegrip – choked her words. She put on her best smile and stood up a little straighter. “Nah, that’s okay. I’ve already got plans.”

“Oh, okay,” Yukari said with a lilt of disappointment. “Well, don’t let me hold you up! If you need anything, text me, okay?”

After exchanging some pleasantries, Yukari gave her a wave and headed off. Once she was out of earshot, Hamuko let out a sigh and grabbed her hairbrush from the sink.

~ X ~

The city was quietly bustling. It was a Sunday, so a steady stream of housewives, children, and young adults out for the day were out on walks and visiting stores. It let Hamuko blend in well enough as she walked down the road, not quite sure where her feet would take her. She could feel dark thoughts that she couldn’t trust following her, trying to make themselves known, and the only thing she could do to try and chase them away was by keeping her feet moving, the wall of sound in her headphones separating her from the world.

She didn’t realize that she was crossing Moonlight Bridge until the sea breeze blew her hair into her face. The sidewalk alongside the road wasn’t heavily traveled since the monorail was the faster way to Port Island, so there wasn’t another person for several meters around. She stopped in her tracks, looking around, and pulled off her headphones. She sucked in a breath, willing her heartbeat to slow, and closed her eyes.

For the moment, the anxiety faded, and she leaned out over the railing to look out at the ocean.

This was the first time she’d gone onto the bridge outside of the Dark Hour. It felt different somehow, though she’d spent most of the last time watching Akihiko’s back so she didn’t have to look at the sea of blood below. Part of why she’d never come here during the day was just that she didn’t have a reason to, but now she wondered if she’d just been avoiding this place.

She didn’t remember it well. They had been driving home late at night from some event on Port Island – whatever it had been, it was something that her parents couldn’t avoid bringing their barely school-aged daughter along for. The way she’d heard it later, there’d been a big accident on their drive home, but all she personally remembered was the sound of crunching metal. Whatever trauma took her memory of the actual crash had taken why she’d left the car afterwards too. When they found her, she was standing in a daze in the middle of the road, her parents’ car burning behind her.

The road had no twisted metal or cracked asphalt now, though. The road had been repaved, the barriers replaced. There was even a nice shine to the railings that suggested their newness.

She looked back out at the ocean, letting out a soft sigh. Maybe the previous night just had her in a morbid mood. It was the only reason she could think she’d let herself walk out here. Twice now since she’d arrived, she’d almost died. Both times, she’d made it through with the help of others and mysterious new powers.

(There had been something about the Persona that tore its way out of Orpheus. Something that she felt deep in her bones. When she concentrated on it, it made her head hurt.)

Somehow, the thought of dying didn’t really bother her. She lived like a ghost already, after all. But Minato had gotten hurt protecting her, and that chewed at her insides.

( He called it “The Reaper.” It had tried to go for her specifically. It didn’t look like the Persona from the roof, but something about it – something about how it felt was – )

The rushing anxiety flooded back, too strong for her breathing exercises and the sound of the ocean to hold back. What were they going to do now? Mitsuru and Ikutsuki didn’t want to keep going. Minato and Akihiko were hurt. What if the answers Yukari wanted were in that tower? She’d joined SEES just to find the truth about her father, and it might be for nothing. Just because Hamuko had made a mistake?

(That feeling

was so

familiar)

An overwhelming sense of nausea forced its way up Hamuko’s throat. She braced herself against the railing, forcing her hand over her mouth, and squeezed her eyes shut. The nausea faded quickly, but the rush, the shortness of breath, remained. She felt like she could feel the bridge swaying under her.

Her heart thumping in her ears, she ran toward the island.

~ X ~

When Hamuko looked up, she was in Paulownia Mall. By this point, she felt like she could at least pretend to be a normal person for a moment. She made her way over to a vending machine and bought a bottle of water, then drained it and dropped it into a trash can.

She took a seat on a bench by the fountain and laid her hands in her lap. Now what? She didn’t feel right going back to the dorm with what she’d said to Yukari. Maybe she’d just window shop for the rest of the day. She looked over the row of stores and paused.

There, beneath the balcony for the karaoke joint. There was something in the alley beneath it that hadn’t been there in her previous visits. It glowed with a brilliant blue light that spilled out onto the walls and floor. She got to her feet and began to approach, and realized that the glowing object at the back of the alleyway was… a door. A blue door, of an identical make to the one she’d seen in Tartarus the night before.

Just as she realized that, she felt a weight fall into her pocket. She reached in and pulled out a blue key.

She shot to the door and stuck the key in the lock. It turned with a satisfying click. She turned the knob and opened the door to a blinding white light.

When the light faded, she was sitting at a familiar table in the Velvet Room, the elevator rolling steadily upwards beneath her feet. Across from her was the long-nosed man she’d seen in her dream, Igor, and his white-haired attendant, Theodore. She carefully shuffled her skirt under her and sat up straight.

“Ah, welcome,” said Igor. “I am delighted to see you today. It was my hope that I would be able to speak with you before you first entered the tower, but no matter.”

Hamuko put on a casual smile, ready for whatever Igor was going to tell her next. He looked her over, frowning slightly. At least, she thought it was a frown. That grin of his never really changed much.

“...However, I fear I may need to put that to the side for the moment. It seems that something is troubling you,” Igor said.

Hamuko jolted. “It’s nothing, really.”

Igor laced his fingers together.

“If I may,” he said, “My job is to create new Personas and awaken new possibilities within you. I may not be able to provide the answers you seek, but I might offer some clarity to your concerns. Our sincere wish is to guide you on your journey.”

“No, seriously, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Hamuko insisted.

“I insist,” Igor said. “A clouded psyche is likely to give birth to malformed personas, and lead you down paths you may regret. Fear not. As one of our treasured guests, any words spoken between us will remain within the walls of this room.” He chuckled in a strange, high-pitched manner.

Hamuko played with her fingers beneath the table, trying to think of an answer that could get her out of her. The longer she sat there, the more the dark anxiety clawed its way back.

She gulped.

She felt like was going to burst. How suddenly she’d been thrust into everything, the secrets she knew were being kept from her –

(The accident with no crash to cause it, the beast that clawed its way out of her mouth –)

Minato’s face, the way he moved, everything about him, was so familiar yet so, so different in a way she couldn’t put her finger on, the way he threw himself into danger for her so, so easily –

(The bullet whizzing past her ear and into his shoulder –)

Suddenly, it was all spilling out of her. From being pulled into SEES, to how Minato’s presence made her feel so off-balance, to the events of the previous night. When she tried to talk about the Reaper in any more detail than the broad strokes, the words choked her, so she skated past it. She could see concern in Theodore’s face as she spoke, and it made her guilt worsen.

By the time she finished, she could see Igor looking away somewhat, that ever-so-slight frown she’d seen on him more prominent. Whatever its source was, however, he did not voice it. Instead, he tented his fingers together and met her gaze. When he spoke, it was with a tone that suggested that he was choosing his words very carefully.

“It seems that you have been consumed by guilt over the actions you have taken since you arrived in this town,” Igor said. “I ask you this: are the events of the past few days truly your fault? Or, perhaps, are they merely a convergence of circumstances outside of your control?”

Hamuko scowled. “I thought that contract I signed said I ‘choose this fate of my own will’.”

“Yes, the contract does state as such. It is a reminder to any prospective guests of the Velvet Room to not turn away from the consequences, both good and bad, of their actions,” Igor said. “The Persona is a reflection of soul and psyche, and the strength you find from the Wild Card stems from your knowledge of self. Ask yourself: which things are without your power to change? How might you extend your reach to alter such events? Find closure in the former, and opportunity in the latter. Many things are beyond the grasp of a single mortal being.

“But then, you are not alone. I sense that you have already made quite a few Social Links with your companions,” he continued. Hamuko blinked up at him.

“Social… what?” she asked.

“There is a girl who suffered a similar tragedy to yourself, yes? It seems you have formed quite the close connection with her already,” Igor said. “Your bonds are what give your Personas power, but they are not limited to that. They are the threads that tie you to other people. Perhaps, in time, their true value shall make itself clear to you.”

Hamuko clenched her hands in her lap. It was one thing to hear it out loud, it was another to believe it. It suddenly hit her how absolutely crazy this situation was. She was being instructed on the power of friendship by an old man in a magic elevator who refused to give an answer one way or another.

“I had thought that our other guest had internalized that lesson as well, but…” Theodore trailed off. When Hamuko looked at him, he shook his head and said, “I shouldn’t speak more on the matter. It would be… unprofessional of me.”

A look of concern lingered on his face. Hamuko turned her attention back toward Igor, frowning.

“You and Minato have worked together before, right?” she asked. “I know you can’t really talk about him, but I need to understand what’s going on with him. I know I’ve never met him before, but there’s just… there’s something about him that I can’t put my finger on, and it’s driving me insane.”

Igor closed his eyes thoughtfully.

“There is little I can say on this matter that would not violate the Velvet Room’s contract with its guests. I leave you to draw what conclusions you may, or to investigate through what channels you have. What I will say is this: your journeys are intertwined. Whether you choose to work together or in opposition, there is no separating your influence on one another.”

Hamuko looked down, scowling. Another non-answer… She was still chewing over his response when his last sentence hit her, and she looked up, cheeks red.

“You don’t mean that, uh, romantically, do you? Because I’m not into him that way,” Hamuko said. Igor chuckled.

“I speak in terms of something more esoteric – a matter of the soul more than one of the heart,” he said. “The truth of my words shall become clear in time, as shall Minato’s own truth. Have patience.”

Hamuko squeezed her hands together. It was hard to be patient when all of these thoughts were rolling around her head, but she clearly wasn’t going to get anything else out of Igor. He seemed to realize that she was done questioning him, as he relaxed his shoulders and lowered his hands.

“Now, shall we discuss a different subject?” he asked. “Perhaps now is the time to discuss the Velvet Room’s primary purpose…”

~ X ~

Hamuko stepped out of the Velvet Room some minutes later, more information than she had ever wanted to know about Persona fusion rolling around her head. On the upside, she didn’t feel so anxious she was going to vomit anymore, even if the anxiety had been largely replaced by frustration. At the same time, she had to admit that talking to Igor had helped. He wasn’t a friend – their interactions had been far too businesslike for that – but he was definitely someone she could trust.

That alone wasn’t a feeling she was used to, if she was being honest with herself. Coming back to Iwatodai really was opening all of these new horizons for her.

She started back down the road toward the train station. Just as she stepped into the plaza in front of the station, she saw him. Minato was climbing the stairs, his arm in a sling. Before she could stop herself, she ran up to him, calling his name. He stopped and turned toward her, unhooking a headphone from his ear as he did.

Hamuko found herself stopping halfway up the stairs, suddenly unsure of what she wanted to say or why she’d called out to him. They stared blankly at each other, the awkward silence becoming more so with each passing second.

Suddenly, Hamuko said, “Do you wanna get lunch somewhere?”

~ X ~

They’d ended up deciding on Wild Duck Burger. This was more out of convenience than anything else – Minato’s right arm was the one in the sling, and Hamuko wasn’t so sure how well he could use chopsticks with his non-dominant hand. So finger food it was.

“I’m surprised you asked me to come,” Minato said after a few minutes.

“How come?” Hamuko asked, lowering her burger.

“Well…” Minato put a couple of fries in his mouth, frowning as he did. He took a very long while to chew them over before saying, “I’ve kind of been a dick lately.”

Hamuko laughed – the kind of not-so-nervous laugh she found herself doing when she was trying to treat something like it wasn’t that serious. She found it put others at ease around her.

“Look, you said it yourself. You had some stuff going on. I get it. Although…” She gave him a serious furrow of the brow. “...If it’s something to do with me, I do feel like I’ve got the right to know what it is.”

Minato nervously stirred a fry in his ketchup and said, “I’ll tell you eventually, I promise. You’re not wrong, but… like I told Mitsuru, I have my reasons for keeping my secrets right now.”

Hamuko quirked an eyebrow. So she hadn’t been imagining it, there was something going on between Minato and Mitsuru. When did that happen, though? They hadn’t been spending that much time around each other, so it must have either been when Hamuko was unconscious. As curious as she was about that, though, she decided to drop it; she clearly wasn’t going to get much out of him about it.

She looked down at her burger. The patty was rapidly cooling. A mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise dripped down a sad-looking lettuce leaf and onto her tray. The longer she held it there, the faster it cooled and the more the sauce mixture soaked into the bun. The idea of putting this in her mouth was quickly becoming unappetizing.

“How’s your arm?” she asked, deciding to finally address the elephant in the room.

“The doctor wants me to take it easy for a few weeks. The surface wound’s healed thanks to Mitsuru and Akihiko, but it’s still tender. He’s worried it might reopen if I do anything too strenuous,” Minato said.

“That’s gotta be frustrating,” Hamuko said.

“It is. Means no Tartarus until after next month.” He chewed on a chicken nugget, scowling.

Hamuko looked at her fries and decided to take an experimental bite. The time they’d had out of the fryer had hardened them, creating something closer to a thin, flavorless chip. She pushed her tray away and looked up at Minato. “I’ll be honest, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about, but I just got a whole lecture from Igor and now I don’t know what to do…”

Minato looked up. “You met with Igor?”

Hamuko nodded. “Kind of felt like the thing to go do. Since I didn’t get to check out that door when we were in Tartarus last night…”

“Knowing him, he didn’t say much one way or another on it,” Minato said. “Don’t beat yourself up. These things happen. It won’t be the first time one of us gets injured, and I wasn’t exactly paying attention last night either. The Reaper shows up faster when Tartarus is unstable. I guess I just got used to someone being able to warn me that it’s approaching…” He shook his head bitterly. “Doesn’t matter. In any case, I froze up the first time I saw the Reaper too.”

Hamuko blinked at him. “Really? You?”

“Sure. It’s strong. Scary. Has a habit of showing up just when you’re feeling comfortable. Anyone would freeze up in that situation.”

Hamuko opened her mouth, then closed it again. She wasn’t sure if she’d call what she did “freezing up”. It was more like…

Like something primal had taken hold of her. Something undefinable.

She shuddered and said, “You know a lot about this stuff.”

Minato let out a sigh, a small, sad smile crossing his face. “I’ve been at it for a while.”

“How long?” Hamuko asked, maybe a bit too suddenly. A feeling of anxious confidence was rising in her chest. For the first time since they’d met, Minato was talking about himself. This felt like an opportunity she couldn’t pass up on.

“About a year,” Minato said.

“And you were in Tartarus then too?”

He nodded.

“Were you alone?”

Minato was quiet for a second after that. Then, he shook his head.

There was a lot Hamuko could have asked after that. She wanted to know more about what Minato had done before this – what brought him to SEES, who he’d been working with, how that tied to the questions he wouldn’t answer – but she couldn’t ask. The closer she got to that cusp of understanding, the more she felt like she might spook him.

So instead, she scratched her fingernail into the paper placemat that had come with her tray.

“So, what now?” she asked, looking up.

“Hm?”

“You can’t fight. It sounds like Mitsuru and the Chairman might call off Tartarus visits altogether, even though apparently we’re getting a new member today anyways,” Hamuko said. "What are we going to do? Are we just going to sit around and wait for another big Shadow to show up? What if the next one’s stronger? What if it’s not satisfied with just beating the snot out of us – what if it attacks other people?”

Minato put a hand to his chin. “...You’ve been thinking a lot about this.”

“Of course I have! It’s my–” She sucked in a breath. No. Breathe. Not right now. “I don’t want to get complacent. Maybe nothing as crazy as what happened at the dorms will happen again, but if something else does, I want to be ready. I’m tired of not being able to fight back.”

Minato furrowed his brow deeper.

“...It’s funny,” he said, finally. “I was never this enthusiastic about training when I got my Persona. Had to have the fear of God beaten into me first.”

Hamuko let out a small laugh. “I probably wouldn’t be if, you know, everything hadn’t happened the way it did. Honestly, this still feels completely insane. But I still want to do something.”

“Maybe there’s something I can do…” Minato murmured. “Even if I can’t fight, you’re new at this, and…”

Before he could finish, there was a buzzing from both ends of the table. The two reached into their pockets near simultaneously, taking out their cell phones. Hamuko scowled down at the notification. That had to be Mitsuru calling them back to the dorm… Minato pocketed his phone and looked back at Hamuko.

“Come on, let’s head back. If she’s calling us back, that means Junpei’s probably settled in,” Minato said.

Hamuko’s eyes bugged out. As Minato got out of his seat, Hamuko followed, stammering. “Wait, what do you mean, ‘Junpei?!’ As in, the guy from class?! What do you mean, he’s settled in?!”

Minato chuckled to himself as he crossed the store to dump his tray into the trash.

“Minato! Talk to me!” Hamuko cried as she went to follow him out the front doors. “Minatoooooo!”

~ X ~

Once again, Hamuko found herself sitting around a table with the others in her dorm, waiting for an awkward meeting with the Chairman to start. If it weren’t for Junpei Iori bobbing in his seat like an over-energetic child across from her, she would have deja vu right now. She gave Minato a scowl. If he’d known this was going to happen, he could have at least warned her.

She looked around at the others, from the always serious Mitsuru to the unconcerned Akihiko to the always-quietly-smiling Chairman. Whatever answers she’d been hoping for, she sure didn’t see them in their faces.

Ikutsuki crossed his legs and clasped his hands together over his knee. “I believe that is everyone. First of all, I would like to welcome our newest member to our ranks.”

Junpei straightened up and thumped his chest with his fist. “‘Sup everyone! I’m Junpei Iori!”

“You don’t need to introduce yourself. Half of us are in your class…” Yukari said.

“At the very least, I cannot deny his enthusiasm,” Mitsuru said with a half-hearted shrug.

“The others have already taken the time to catch Junpei-kun up to speed, so we can move on to other business,” Ikutsuki continued. “Now, as all of you are aware, this now brings the number of combat ready members to four. Or, at least, it would… except that Minato-san was injured last night.”

“Sorry,” Minato said.

“This has raised the question of whether or not we should continue our explorations of the tower at our current strength. It seems that at least a few of the Shadows in the tower are stronger than the ones we have faced thus far. While I am personally in favor of continuing, I understand that some of you may feel differently,” Ikutsuki said. His gaze fell on Yukari, who flinched and held her arms close to her.

“It’s not that I don’t want to keep going! It’s just…” She trailed off.

“Come on, Yuka-tan, how bad could it be?” Junpei said. “I bet you just saw something that was no big deal and got spooked.”

“You weren’t there!” Yukari shot back. Hamuko jolted and looked toward her, wide-eyed.

“Woah, okay, okay. I get your point!” Junpei said, holding his hands up. He looked toward Minato. “...Is that, uh, what happened to your arm?”

Minato nodded. “Got shot.”

“Holy shit, dude…”

“I’ve had worse,” Minato said, shrugging.

Junpei’s eyes looked like they were going to bug out of his head. Before the conversation could continue to derail, Akihiko spoke up.

“In any case, this is about whether or not we’re going to keep doing what we already were doing, or if we’re going to actually go after them where it hurts. Right, Mitsuru?” Akihiko said, giving Mitsuru a pointed look. She returned his stare icily.

“If what Arisato has said about the Reaper is correct, what happened last night was a freak accident. There should be no danger in continuing to explore Tartarus, so long as we are cautious. However, neither of us are the ones who will be entering the tower.” Mitsuru looked back toward the rest of the table. “We would appreciate your help. However, considering the past day, I would understand if this is the point where you choose to step back.”

Yukari squeezed her arms tighter. Hamuko looked toward her, then back at Mitsuru. She didn’t want to put Yukari on the spot like this, but…

“I want to keep going,” Hamuko said, raising her hand.

"Hamuko…” Yukari said.

“What about you, Iori? This is your first day. You have the choice of whether or not you wish to subject yourself to this danger,” Mitsuru said.

Junpei thumped his chest. “Don’t you worry! I’ve got this handled!”

Yukari looked at him pleadingly, then around at the others in the room, and sighed. “Okay, okay, if… if you all are so confident then… I guess I’m back in too.”

"Well, Mitsuru, I believe that is everyone. Does this address your doubts?” Ikutsuki asked. When Mitsuru just sighed in response, he turned to the others. “I believe that brings us to the next point on the agenda. Akihiko?”

Akihiko sat up. “With Minato out, we’re going to need someone who can replace him in the field, at least until he heals. And since Mitsuru won’t let me join you, that means between the three of you, we’re going to need someone who can take his place.”

Hamuko glanced between Yukari and Junpei. Junpei’s eyes were beaming.

“Ooh! Me! Me me me me. Pick me,” he said, raising his hand and bouncing in his seat.

Akihiko let out a tortured groan. He looked over at Yukari, then to Hamuko, and then to Minato. Minato’s gaze moved in turn over to Hamuko, and then over toward Ikutsuki. Hamuko realized a split second too late what he was about to do. Before she could interject, he had already opened his mouth.

“I nominate Hamuko,” Minato said.

“Minato!” Hamuko hissed.

“What?! But… she’s a girl,” Junpei said, looking over at her. She crossed her arms and pouted at him.

“She’s also got more experience than you and Takeba both. She took out a big one all on her own a couple weeks back, you know,” Akihiko said.

Hamuko snapped to him next. “That wasn’t –”

“I agree. When Arisato was taken out of commission, she stepped up to take his place immediately. I think she would make a fine replacement,” Mitsuru said. Hamuko gave her a pleading glance, and she added, “Unless you object?”

“Yes! I mean –”

She bit her lip. Junpei was a good guy – most of the time, anyways – but she wasn’t quite sure she trusted him to lead them into battle. And Yukari was her friend, but leadership material? She hadn’t quite forgotten how Yukari had frozen up during the fight on the roof, or how she’d hesitated to summon a Persona during their trip through Tartarus. She was stubborn and strong, but… Hamuko could see that stubborn streak getting them into trouble. Especially now that Junpei was here…

"...Only until Minato’s healed,” she said, relenting.

“Thank you,” Ikutsuki said, smiling placidly. “I believe that wraps everything up for today. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head home and catch an early rest. I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on tomorrow, and you know what they say – the early bird catches the bookworm!”

The silence was deafening.

Without acknowledging it, Ikutsuki got out of his chair and left for the door. The others seemed to take this as their signal to leave, and started sidling out of the room themselves. As he left, Junpei turned back toward Hamuko and gave her finger guns.

“Hey, if you ever want to take a break, I’m always here to take over for ya!” he said.

“Thanks, Junpei,” Hamuko said blandly. As Minato tried to sidle past her, she grabbed his arm, hissing, “What the hell was that?!”

“Relax,” he said.

“Don’t tell me to – this isn’t what I thought you meant by trying to help!”

“You’re going to be fine,” Minato said.

“You can’t just… I mean…” Hamuko felt her anger faltering. She’d agreed to do it – she’d even thought about stepping up for Minato last night in the tower when he didn’t want to do it – but even so–!

“It’s not like I’m going to do nothing while I’m healing,” Minato said. He looked around – the room had emptied. His eyes fell on the console dominating the west wall, and he dropped his voice lower. “Saturday, during the Dark Hour. Meet me in front of Iwatodai Station. I should be ready by then.”

“Iwatodai –“ But before Hamuko could ask more, he slid his arm out of her grasp and headed for the door, leaving her alone in the meeting room. She glanced at the console on the wall, squinting, and then left the room, ready to head to her bedroom and scream into a pillow for a while.

What was she going to do?!

Chapter Text

Hamuko watched the clock tick down on her phone. She felt like she had been sitting on the Iwatodai Station stairs for ages. It was bad enough that she’d lied to Mitsuru about where she was going, but it was now getting agonizingly close to midnight, and Minato still hadn’t shown up.

She looked up, then down the street, watching a drunken salaryman stumble down the road away from the station. Maybe she should just call it a wash and head back. She could always apologize to Minato later…

It was just that she had that thought that the screen shut off and a green pallor fell over the city.

A shudder ran down Hamuko’s spine. She got to her feet, hand drifting to her Evoker. There was a tension on the air that made her hair stand on end. Whenever they walked back from Tartarus at night, they tended to take Moonlight Bridge – safer than walking on the tracks, Mitsuru said. This was the first time she’d been at the station during the Dark Hour since the night she’d arrived in town.

So why was just standing here giving her the same feeling as being inside Tartarus did?

“You feel that too?”

She turned to see Minato walking down the stairs, holding a thin, cloth-wrapped package close to his body with his free hand.

Hamuko let out a sigh. “Where have you been?”

Minato tapped the container against his head. “Needed to get this. Officer Kurosawa usually isn’t in at this time of night, so it took a bit.” He made it to the landing and frowned. “You didn’t bring your naginata?”

“I didn’t realize I would need it,” Hamuko admitted. “What’s going on? I thought the sensors back at the dorm pick up on Shadows if they’re outside the tower?”

“They do,” Minato said. “But not all of them. Some slide through the cracks. You’ve seen the people with Apathy Syndrome around town, yeah?”

Hamuko nodded.

“This is just a theory, but I think the presence of a big one can hide the little ones, even if you can’t sense the big one yet,” Minato said. He motioned for Hamuko to follow. “Come on. Let’s talk somewhere less suffocating.”

He didn’t need to tell Hamuko twice. She followed him down the stairs and out of the station. As they crossed the road toward the shopping center, winding around the coffins in the crosswalk, Minato spoke up again.

“How’s exploring Tartarus been going?” he asked.

Hamuko let out a noncommittal whine. She wished she could say the answer was “great”. There hadn’t been any more close calls with the Reaper, and she could always count on Junpei to be ready to go in. The problem was that their cohesion as a group sucked. Junpei had a habit of running into fights half-cocked, and if things went bad, it was up to Hamuko and Yukari to save him.

The worst of it had been a couple nights ago, when they’d found a floor populated only by three big Venus Eagles. With how the Shadows had kept swooping out of the range of their attacks, only Yukari had been able to strike back for most of the fight thanks to her bow. When Junpei managed to get in for a big hit, another bird managed to nail him with a squall of wind, knocking him out.

Hamuko and Yukari had managed to finish the Eagles off in the end, but the experience had put everyone in a bad mood. They hadn’t gone back in since then. Junpei had come down with a bad cold shortly afterwards, and Hamuko hadn’t wanted to press it while he was sick.

Minato, clearly sensing the discomfort behind Hamuko’s silence, just shrugged. “It could be worse. No one’s dead.”

“Don’t joke about that…” Hamuko groaned.

“Sorry,” Minato said.

They entered the shopping center, and Minato took a seat on a bench. He carefully braced the package against his shoulder and began to untie the strings around it. Hamuko watched him work it nervously, wondering if he needed her to help. Doing that with one arm as he was, he was liable to stab himself. But before she could ask, he slid the paper off of the sword and got up, taking it in his off hand. She watched him give it a couple of test swings with a frown.

“You still haven’t explained what we’re doing here,” Hamuko said.

Minato slid his sword into the crook of his injured arm, holding it close to him with the sling. “Right. Sorry. Last time I tutored anyone, they were kids, and that was mostly…” He trailed off. “Look. You’re new to all of this. I’ve been at it for a while. And just because I had to learn by trial-by-fire, doesn’t mean you should have to too. Besides, I figure we can talk about some things in private that we can’t with the others. Leader to leader, Wild Card to Wild Card.”

Hamuko blinked a couple of times.

“What? Why are you giving me that look?” Minato asked.

“Who are you and what have you done with Minato?” Hamuko asked incredulously.

Minato let out a sigh.

“I’m being serious,” he said.

“You’re never this open with stuff! What happened to the guy who ran away when I tried to ask him about the Velvet Room the other day?”

Minato’s face flushed. “I told you, I had a lot going on, okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Hamuko said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Minato added hurriedly. “Are you in?”

Hamuko pursed her lips. He was the only person she knew who had any experience with being a Wild Card. He knew it too. It was kind of annoying how well he got her sometimes.

But considering the idea made her want to balk. Thinking about accepting his help felt like she was showing that she couldn’t handle it. Even if he had been the one who’d put her in this situation to begin with… But she couldn’t even commit to that objection all that much, because Minato was only injured because he’d been trying to help her in the first place.

Finally, she let out a sigh. “Alright, I guess so. I dunno how well we’ll be able to do stuff tonight, though… I didn’t exactly come prepared.”

“We should be fine without you having a weapon. You can use your Persona, and I’ll be using my non-dominant hand. Way I see it, we’re about on equal grounds.” He wiggled his fingers in his sling, as if to emphasize it. “As for what to do…”

He looked around for a moment, before turning towards the station.

“That’ll be a good start,” Minato said. Crawling down the sidewalk across the street was a glob of sludge, topped with a familiar pink masquerade mask – one of the Maya types Hamuko had seen in Tartarus before. He took a step forward, then looked at Hamuko and gave her a courteous bow. Hamuko rolled her eyes, put her Evoker to her temple, and pulled the trigger.

~ X ~

“...Now, in Ise Monogatari, the identity of the author remains unclear, as–” The ringing of the bell interrupted Mr. Ekoda, who looked up at the speaker with disdain. “Never enough hours in the day… Don’t forget, this will be on the midterm!”

He hadn’t even finished speaking before students began to sidle out of the room. Ekoda sighed, muttered something under his breath, and slid out after them as Hamuko shut her notebook.

Finally, lunchtime. She always came out of Mr. Ekoda’s classes feeling like her brain was turning to mush. Classic literature had never been her thing – so much of it was about old lords and ladies writing poetry about court drama, for starters. If she wasn’t so sure that Mitsuru might kill her if she didn’t do well on midterms, she’d join Minato in napping through class every day.

The two of them hadn’t really done much training the night before – they’d fought a few Shadows, Minato had given her a few pointers on how to better use her Persona and direct people, and then they’d gone back. She never had gotten any clarification on any of the other stuff he’d mentioned – though, now that she thought about it, there really hadn’t been a chance to ask either.

Just as she was getting ready to grab her bag and head to the courtyard, something slammed down on her desk. She looked up to see Junpei leaning over it, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Oh, hey,” Hamuko said, unperturbed. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I’m doin’ fine. Colds never stick for me. That’s not what’s important, though.” Junpei leaned in, dropping the volume of his voice. “Now, if my ears didn’t deceive me, I think I heard a couple of people sneakin’ back into the dorm last night after the Dark Hour. And if they really didn’t deceive me, I’m pretty sure that was you and Minato comin’ in.”

Hamuko shot up in her seat. “You heard that? You didn’t, uh…”

“Relax, I ain’t gonna go snitch,” Junpei said. “But in return, I think, as a friend, I deserve to know what you were up to. So, come on, gimme the dirt!” He wiggled his eyebrows expectantly.

Hamuko quickly looked back over her shoulder. Minato was sound asleep on his desk, quiet as the dead. “It’s not that serious. We were just… training.”

Junpei’s eyebrows raised even higher.

“With Persona stuff,” Hamuko added nervously. “You know, because we have the same Persona, and Minato’s got more experience than me…”

“Oh.” Something dark passed over Junpei’s face. For a second, Hamuko wondered if she’d said something wrong, but before she could even ask, he started going again. “Well, seein’ as I’m back up to snuff, I was thinkin’, let’s go to Tartarus tonight! I’ve got a new super move I wanna try out the next time we run into one of those bird Shadows. They can fly away from me all they want, but they can’t run from the Hermes Kick!”

“Sure, I’ll think about it,” Hamuko said. “Oh, wait, shoot, I can’t… I’ve gotta catch up on homework…”

“Aw, come on! It ain’t like the school’s goin’ anywhere,” Junpei said.

“Didn’t Toriumi drop a giant pile of make-up work on you the moment you came in this morning?” Yukari said as she walked up, a can of coffee in hand. She looked over at Hamuko as Junpei pulled his lunchbox from his bag. “That super stiff guy from the student council stopped me while I was walking back. He really wanted you to know that it’s really important that you come by the student council room today because… I didn’t really catch it, but I think it was something involving a cigarette?”

Hamuko buried her face in her hands. Mitsuru had talked her into joining the student council earlier that week, and she already regretted it. “Yeah, I’ll be there,” she groaned through her fingers.

“Sheesh. No rest for you, huh?” Junpei asked as he pulled out a sandwich. He swung a thumb towards Minato, who gave a snorting snore. “You know, I think there’s some more important things you could be learning from that guy. Like how to chill.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yukari asked, scoffing.

“Apparently Minato’s tutorin’ her in how to… I dunno, do Persona stuff better?” Junpei said.

“What? Really?” Yukari took a seat on the desk next to Hamuko’s, looking over at her.

“He’s not – Okay, he is, but…” Hamuko quickly summarized the situation for Yukari, carefully leaving out any of the Wild Card stuff. “Look, it’s not that big of a deal. I think he just feels bad.”

“What’s he got to feel bad about?” Junpei said through a mouthful of sandwich.

“Ugh, chew your food…” Yukari groaned. Junpei swallowed.

“All I’m sayin’ is, if you think he’s beating himself up over nothing, say something. If you think you need it, fine, whatever,” he continued.

Hamuko chewed that over uncomfortably. She looked over at Yukari, who just shrugged.

“Yo, Junpei!”

Before Hamuko could get the chance to stew much longer in that thought, another classmate of theirs – Hamuko was pretty sure his name was Kenji – started walking over, waving a portable game system in the air.

“Did you bring your game with you? Takahashi in 2-E’s getting a group together for some Master Rank hunts,” Kenji said.

“No shit?! I gotta get in on this.” Junpei hopped out of his seat and ran after Kenji, though not before turning around and giving Hamuko the finger guns. “Don’t forget! Tonight! I’m tellin’ ya, it’s gonna be great!”

He ran out the door, and as it slid closed, Hamuko just looked over at Yukari and gave her a sigh.

~ X ~

Junpei smacked into the ground with a sharp grunt. He pushed himself up on one hand, wiping at the trickle of blood dripping down his chin.

“Come on… why do they all have wind spells?!” he whined as a skittering glove-shaped Shadow got up on two fingers and did a celebratory dance. It pirouetted – and Orpheus slammed its harp into the Hand, smashing it into the wall. The Shadow dissolved into black smoke, leaving only its other two companions left to fight.

“Junpei, fall back!” Hamuko snapped.

“No way!” Junpei hopped to his feet. He fixed his cap, then hefted his sword up and leapt at one of the other Dancing Hands. It twirled out of the way of his sword, a distorted laugh escaping its body as it flipped its hand up and pointed at him. Junpei quickly scooted back as a bolt of lightning crashed in front of him, his face blanching a little.

A couple of arrows struck the ground next to the Hand as it skipped out of their way. Yukari nocked another arrow as Orpheus swung in with its harp again, slamming the Hand into the ground.

Junpei put his Evoker to his temple. “Hermes! Kick it!”

The Persona flew into the air on steel wings before suddenly descending like a spear. Orpheus quickly scooted back as Hermes’ steel boots impaled the Hand through its palm. As the Hand dissolved into dust, Junpei tapped his chest.

“See! I’ve got this!” he said as the final Hand skittered into the space between the three Persona users and waved.

A raging gust of wind blasted through the room, throwing Junpei off his feet. His back cracked against a pillar, and he hit the ground with a sharp cry of pain.

“Junpei!” Yukari cried.

“Take care of him!” Hamuko yelled as she began to chase the skittering Hand. She put her Evoker to her temple. “You little…”

The Hand suddenly turned around and pointed at her. A blast of wind struck her in the arm, wrenching it painfully backwards as her Evoker went flying. She scrambled to grab it, and as her fingers closed around the grip, a bolt of lightning crashed down into her. She couldn’t hold back the scream as she tumbled forward, every nerve screaming in pain – her balance failing her – the Evoker clattering from her fingers once more –

– only for her to be swept up by Hermes. The Persona pulled her upright, her feet skittering on the ground until she was on stable feet again and it rose into the air once more. It put its heels together and crashed down into the Hand, spearing it through. With a final squeal, it fell still and dissolved.

Hamuko gasped a couple of times as she caught her balance. As Hermes disappeared, she looked over to see Junpei getting up, Io’s healing magic fading from around him. She stepped over to her fallen Evoker and picked it up, her shoulder aching irritably, before starting to walk over to Junpei and Yukari.

“Junpei, I told you to back off,” Hamuko said as she approached.

“I had it, didn’t I?” Junpei shot back, cradling his forehead in his hand.

“Yeah, after you took a bunch of hits you didn’t need to,” Hamuko grumbled.

“What, you wanted me to ‘back off’ so you could get fried? Great plan, leader.”

Yukari looked between the two of them with concern. “Hang on, let’s just calm down a–“

“I’ve got other Personas! And Yukari can heal us! We could have taken care of it!” Hamuko snapped back.

“Well, aren’t you lucky that you’re special,” Junpei growled.

Yukari let out a sharp gasp. “Hey, you don’t get to talk to her like that!”

“Enough.” Mitsuru’s voice cut across their communicators sharply. “You’re all tired. Iori’s hurt. I think it’s time you call it a night.”

“...Right,” Hamuko said. She glanced over at Yukari and Junpei guiltily. Junpei tipped his hat down, shading his face from view. “Sorry.”

“’S fine,” he said. “Senpai’s right. Let’s just go.”

~X~

Hamuko massaged her sore elbow as she stepped up to the vending machine on the shopping center’s third floor. Mitsuru and Yukari’s magic could stitch cuts and mend bruises, but some things just followed you out of the Dark Hour.

As much as part of her wanted to just chill in her room and put it under a heating pad, she really didn’t want to go back to the dorm yet. Junpei and Yukari sure acted like that argument in Tartarus was just water under the bridge, but she could feel the prickling disappointment in how everyone had looked at her during breakfast that morning.

Her first thought had been to go loiter around the shrine down the street for a while, just to try and cool off away from everyone’s eyes. But when she’d gotten there, she’d found a kid playing by herself on the playground. She’d asked Hamuko to go get her some snacks, and somehow Hamuko had agreed, and now she was back at the shopping center, holding a box of weird takoyaki and scanning the front of a vending machine for the drink she’d asked for.

Hamuko grimaced as she looked over the options. Seriously… what kind of elementary school kid drank Mad Bull? Not to mention that the takoyaki she’d gotten from that stand did not smell like octopus… What was she even doing, anyways? It wasn’t like she knew this kid at all…

“Still eating nothing but ramen, huh?”

Hamuko froze. Wasn’t that Akihiko’s voice? She turned around, approaching the railing of the balcony, and craned her head out over it.

“It’s better than all of that protein shit you eat,” said another voice.

“Hey, it gets results.” Akihiko laughed in a way Hamuko realized she’d never heard from him before. “If you care that much, why don’t you come back? I bet the new guys would like your cooking.”

“Tch.”

It was no use… she couldn’t quite see them from here. Carefully, she began to creep toward the stairwell, stepping down it carefully so she wouldn’t make noise, and peeked out just enough to get a look at them. There was a man in a beanie and a red peacoat leaning out over the railing, his long brown hair trailing down his shoulders.

“Well?” he said, suddenly. “Get on with it.”

Akihiko sighed, stepping up behind him. “Look. We’ve got a lot of new teammates. We’re even going into Tartarus now. But it’s been… rough. Me and another guy got taken out of the fight basically immediately. And the other three are… fresh. Fresher than we were when you left.”

“What do you want me to do? Come back so you can keep them on a leash?” the other man growled.

“It’d do them some good to fight with someone who’s done it before.”

“Then do it yourself.”

Anger flashed across Akihiko’s face. He suddenly grabbed for the man’s collar and yanked him forward. Hamuko covered her mouth, suppressing a gasp as Akihiko got up into the man’s face.

“What was that?!” Akihiko snarled.

“I know you,” the man said. “You got fucked up because you just charged in like a damn fool. Now you’re watching these new guys trip over themselves and you’re getting pissed off because all you can think about is how much better you’d be in their place. Get over yourself.”

He grabbed Akihiko’s wrist and wrenched his hand away from his collar. Akihiko hopped backwards, brow tightening, and then let out a frustrated huff as the man stepped toward the staircase.

“I’m not coming back. Fix your own damn problems,” he said, and stepped down it. Hamuko scooted up the steps back onto the landing, keeping her mouth covered until she heard a second series of clanging steps. She leaned back out over the railing to see Akihiko stomping down the road, and slid back into a crouch.

Every awful emotion Hamuko could think swirled inside her. It was mostly shame and embarrassment – both for eavesdropping on Akihiko’s conversation to begin with, but also for realizing that he was talking about her. It was a sickening confirmation of every doubt she’d had about herself and her place in SEES. Now she knew that Akihiko – and probably Mitsuru too – thought she couldn’t handle it, and she felt awful.

Yet the longer she lingered on the feeling, the more she felt fury rising in her gut.

~ X ~

The blade of her naginata clanged to the ground as the Shadow dissolved under her. Hamuko wiped the sweat from her brow. That was the third one tonight – they’d only managed to find two in her last session with Minato, but this time there were three. Were there more? If so, why were more showing up? She squinted up at the sky, gaze drifting across the waxing moon.

Minato watched her with a frown. He holstered his Evoker. “Let’s take a break. My shoulder’s killing me.”

He led her across the street to the relative safety of the shopping center. Hamuko laid her naginata across a bench. When she straightened up, her gaze drifted to the raised walkway Akihiko and his friend had been talking on, and she felt her blood pressure rising.

Minato set his bag on the ground and pulled out a bottle from it. He tossed it to her, and she caught it against her chest. “Here.”

Hamuko looked down at the bottle suspiciously. It was chill to the touch, rivulets of light-red condensation dripping down it. “Dude, no.”

“It’s fine. There’s enough garbage in it that it doesn’t actually turn to blood. I’ve checked.”

Hamuko squinted down at the bottle and, relenting, twisted off the top and took a sip. It had the sickly, watery sweetness of something with simultaneously too much sugar and too many electrolytes. She gulped it down anyways – she hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until that moment.

“Are you doing alright?” Minato suddenly asked.

“Huh?” Hamuko pulled the bottle from her lips. “No, no, I’m fine.”

He looked away from her, frowning. “You just seem pissed off.”

“It’s okay. I’m fine.” Hamuko gave him a smile.

She stared back down at the bottle, and finally sighed and laid it down on the bench.

“Me and Junpei got in some stupid argument the other day while we were in Tartarus. He wouldn’t back off and let me and Yukari handle some Shadows, and I got really pissed off about it. I apologized later, but…” Hamuko couldn’t keep the scowl off of her face. “Then I ran into Akihiko talking with some guy he knows. And he’s trying to convince this guy to come back to SEES because apparently I’m so much of a fuck-up that he thinks I need it?!”

“Akihiko did that?” Minato asked incredulously.

“I’m just frustrated, you know? I’m trying my best out here and it feels like everyone is just waiting for me to step aside and let someone better take over,” Hamuko said. “I know I’m being unreasonable, but…”

“Has this been happening a lot with Junpei?” Minato asked.

“I mean, not a lot, but… It feels like every time we run into some strong Shadow, it’s something he can’t even touch. And that always gets him into a bad mood,” Hamuko said.

Minato looked down at his own bottle.

“...It’s easy to think of Shadows as just monsters, but they’re not. They feed on the dark parts of our souls,” he said. “It makes them good at picking out the weak link in a group. And Junpei…”

...Junpei’s the only one of us who refuses to take things seriously, Hamuko thought grimly. She got what he was getting at.

Minato let out a sigh. “I can try talking to him if you want.”

“No!” Hamuko blurted. “No, it’s fine. It’s really not that big of an issue.”

Minato looked over at her, frowning. Hamuko felt shame wash over her, already sensing that something about how Minato perceived her had just shifted. But he didn’t say anything – he just looked back at his drink again.

“...If you say so,” Minato said. He slipped the bottle back into his bag. “Let’s get back to business. What Personas do you have on you right now?”

“Huh? Uh…” Hamuko scanned back through her mental inventory. “Orpheus, Apsaras, Forneus, Pixie, and Lilim. Why?”

“Because you have a bad habit of trying to do everything yourself,” Minato said, smiling wanly. “And that puts a target on your back too.”

Hamuko scowled, holding her arms close to herself. “Isn’t the whole point of this power that I have, quote-unquote, ‘infinite possibility’…?”

“To an extent,” Minato said, shrugging. “But being able to strike at any weaknesses isn’t everything. Sometimes you’ll need to make the big hits, but sometimes you’ll also need to be flexible and be a support for the others. It’s all about working together and knowing when you need to step up and when to step back. For example…”

He put a hand to his chin. A light squelching sound coming from the road caught his attention, and he turned toward it.

“There we go,” Minato said, as a pathetic looking Maya oozed down the crosswalk. “Let’s say, hypothetically, your Persona can’t do anything about that thing.”

“You know I’ve fought like fifty of those things at this point, right?” Hamuko scoffed.

“Just work with me here. You can’t touch that thing, but I can, for whatever reason. What can you do to help me fight it?”

Hamuko frowned. She knew her Personas could increase people’s capabilities – it’d been what she’d done with Orpheus and Apsaras back in her first Tartarus visit. Presumably, that went the other way around too – she could probably use her Personas to impact Shadows’ abilities too. There was something else she could feel from Pixie, too…

She decided to tug on that string first. When Pixie came out, the Persona darted over to the Maya, zipping back and forth and leaving a kaleidoscope of glittering lights in her wake. She tapped the Maya on the forehead and there was a pop. Suddenly, the Maya reeled back, skittering in a panic. It clawed wildly at Pixie, who fluttered backwards. She stuck her tongue out at the Shadow before suddenly disappearing.

As the Maya skittered back and forth in its panic, Minato stepped up behind it, reeled back his foot, and slammed it into the Shadow’s back. It bounced forward like a soccer ball before splattering to the ground in a puddle. With a twirl of his Evoker, his silver Orpheus appeared and finished it off with a swing of its harp.

“Good answer,” Minato said. “Like I said. Shadows don’t play fair. So you should do the same – confuse them, ambush them, turn them against each other, whatever.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Work smarter, not harder, and all that,” Hamuko said.

“I’m not joking. If something feels too convenient, it is,” Minato said, suddenly training Hamuko with a very serious expression. “Whether it’s with Shadows or anything else. Don’t just walk into someone else’s trap because it’s easier not to think about it.”

Hamuko blinked, not sure how to take this sudden turn. She gave him a nod, feeling a little unsettled. “...Right.”

She slipped her Evoker into its holster and looked around. Maybe it was time to start heading back. It was always a little hard to gauge how long it had been, since clocks didn’t work during the Dark Hour, but she felt like it had to be ending soon. She glanced back up to the second floor of the shopping center, frowning.

Watching them from the deck above was the boy in the striped pajamas she’d seen at the hospital. His eyes tracked Minato as he went to pick up his bag. Hamuko gave the boy a wave, and he looked back at her and gave a weak wave in return.

“What are you looking at?” Minato asked as he came up behind her.

“Oh, uh…” When Hamuko looked back, the boy was gone. “…Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

She watched Minato carefully, to see if he would question it. But after a moment, he just shrugged and began to walk back down the road toward the dorm. Maybe he also had the same sense that they were running low on time. Without any argument, Hamuko grabbed her naginata from the bench and began to follow after.

~ X ~

“There’s one Shadow in the center of the room. Be careful.”

Hamuko didn’t need Mitsuru to tell her. From the moment they stepped off of the staircase, they had seen its massive form looming overhead, stark against the tower’s overpowering darkness. Where most Shadows at least resembled something Hamuko could put into words, the Rampage Drive before them defied description. It stood tall on two sets of legs, which had been arranged into wheel-like spokes. The large spikes where its arms should have been sparked with little bolts of electricity – a warning of what was to come.

Hamuko hefted her naginata into an attack stance. Yukari drew her bow. Junpei lifted his greatsword for a batter’s swing.

The Drive’s spike-arms crackled with electricity. Quick as a trigger, Hamuko cycled to a new Persona inside her head.

A wave of lightning crashed over the room. It passed through her like white-hot iron, but lacked the debilitating bite it had in the past, when she’d kept Orpheus equipped. Hamuko looked up to see residual bolts cracking across its chassis, leaving little singe marks in their wake.

Junpei recovered from the strike first. He ran for the Shadow, taking a hard swing at it, only for his sword to bounce off uselessly.

“Fine then!” he snapped. “Hermes!”

The Persona snapped into being and flung a fireball at the Drive. The flames burst on its armor, charring it black at the point of contact, but leaving not much damage otherwise.

“N-No shit?” Junpei stuttered, beginning to back up. The Drive swiveled toward him, reared up, and slammed itself into him, knocking him to the ground. He quickly rolled out of the way before it could stomp down on him, its feet crashing down where he’d just been.

Hamuko quickly took a look around. Yukari was slowly pushing herself up – she must have taken a bolt before – but Junpei was in a bad spot. She couldn’t rely on Orpheus here either – that lightning would wreck her.

The memory of the wildly panicking Maya from the other night rushed back to her. She put her Evoker against her temple and pulled. Pixie spun into the air, then zipped around the Drive’s head, leaving kaleidoscopic sparkles in her wake. The Drive’s arms began to spark again, just as Pixie grabbed its cheeks and leaned in, touching her forehead to the Drive’s.

With a bang, the gathering electricity explode. Junpei scrambled away as the Drive reeled on its leg-wheels, almost falling backwards before managing to catch itself. It looked around in a panic, wheeling back and forth on the floor, and disregarding its three opponents for the moment.

Hamuko waved for Junpei and Yukari to follow, and the three ran for the pillars surrounding the arena, pushing their backs against them as the Drive suddenly ran for the other end of the room in its panic.

“Analysis complete,” Mitsuru said into Hamuko’s ear. “All forms of physical attack are useless.”

“What?! Come on!” Junpei snapped.

“However, it appears to be especially vulnerable to electricity. It also seems that Arisato’s Persona has temporarily rendered it unable to use magic.”

Yukari winced. “So we can’t turn its power against it like she just did anymore…”

“This has to be cheating…” Junpei grumbled.

Gears turned in Hamuko’s head. No, this was winnable. This was absolutely winnable. She could already think of a way to do it. She put her Evoker against her temple again, concentrated on Orpheus and Apsaras, and pulled the trigger.

The force of summoning slammed through her like a bomb. She staggered, bracing herself against the pillar as Orpheus and Apsaras healed their wounds and set their muscles on end.

Concern washed across Junpei’s face. “Hey, why did you–“

“I need you two to wear it down,” Hamuko said, stepping toward the two of them. “I’ve got a plan, but if it recovers before I can do it, we’re all screwed. Junpei, can I count on you to keep Yukari up?”

Junpei’s mouth fell open.

“Please,” Hamuko pleaded.

He sighed, tipping his baseball cap down.

“Always comes down to you, huh…” he said. Then, he tipped his head up and patted Yukari on the shoulder. “Alright… Alright! Come on, Yuka-tan! Let’s get this thing!”

“Don’t call me… ugh! Geez!” Yukari ran out after him, rolling her eyes.

Junpei put his Evoker to his temple. In a rush of broken glass, Hermes swooped into the air and kicked a ball of fire at the Drive. It burst against its back, making the Drive reel towards him. Junpei tapped his sword against the ground a couple of times.

“Come on, you big hunk of junk! Come’n get some!” Junpei called out. The Drive’s engine roared, and it sped for him. Junpei dove out of the way as the Drive slammed into a pillar. He rolled up into a crouch and put his Evoker to his forehead again. “One more, Hermes!”

As Junpei sent another volley of fire at the Drive, Hamuko ran out from the safety of the pillar, pulling her Evoker’s trigger as she ran. A devil girl in a white dress – Lilim – spun into the air and send a ray of warbling purple energy at the Drive as Hamuko ducked for cover. Hopefully that Rakunda would do the trick…

A squall of wind slammed into the Drive’s chest, making it rear up on two of its spoked legs. It let out a screech like grinding metal as Yukari lowered her Evoker.

“Hey, I think that hit a little harder than the last one!” Yukari said as the Drive turned her way. Before it could charge, Hermes slammed into it legs first, bouncing off of its chassis uselessly.

“Still nothing?! Come on!” Junpei cried. “Wait, oh shi–“

The Drive slammed head on into Junpei. For a second, Hamuko’s breath caught. This was a failure, she needed to get out there and help –

Then, she saw Junpei had his sword held up in front of him. His breaths were ragged, he was clearly bruised – but he was up.

“Junpei!” Yukari cried. Io threw a healing spell at him, and a grin alit on his face before he pushed back from the Drive, backing away before it could charge again.

Hamuko slid back behind her cover and put her Evoker to her forehead. When she pulled the trigger, a large, manta ray-like Persona came out this time and wrapped its fins around her. She felt strength surge through her – a similar, but distinct rush to the one Orpheus and Apsaras’ Cadenza had given her.

The Drive charged once more for Junpei, and for a second time, he ran out of the way as the Drive sped past him. But this time, instead of finishing the charge, it stopped partway. It turned around on a swivel and began to roll back towards Junpei and Yukari, training a focused stare upon them. Its arms began to spark with electricity.

“Oh no,” Yukari breathed.

A wave of thunder burst through the room. Hamuko braced herself against the pillar as bright flashes crashed past her.

Yukari fell to her knees, breathing heavily. The Drive turned toward her.

“HERMES!”

Junpei’s Persona swept through the room, scooping Yukari into its arms. The Drive looked up at the two of them, arms sparking dangerously, as Hamuko leapt from the pillar.

In a flash of broken glass and blue sparks of flame, Lilim emerged once again. The devil-girl gave the Drive a smirk, training a finger upon it as electricity began to spark around her.

“GET SMOKED, ASSHOLE!” Hamuko yelled.

A bolt of thunder burst from Lilim’s finger. It crashed through the Drive’s chest, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. The Drive shuddered, sparking with unspent power, and exploded.

Shards of metal and Shadow-sludge scattered across the room like shrapnel before dissolving into dust, leaving only smoke and the lingering smell of ozone behind. For a second, no one said anything. Then, Hamuko laughed. And kept laughing.

Until the exhaustion slammed into her like a truck, and her vision went black.

~ X ~

“Hey, Yuka-tan, I think she’s coming around… Yo, you good?”

Hamuko blinked up at Junpei’s face. A bruise had bloomed across his forehead. He backed away as she pushed herself up, cradling her head in her hand. Her forehead was throbbing… She could hear cars going down the road… was it not the Dark Hour anymore?

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Out in front of the school. You passed out right after we beat that Shadow,” Junpei said.

“Mitsuru-san’s calling a car for us,” Yukari said as she walked over to them. “She said it was probably better than us wandering around town this late at night.”

Hamuko looked around. Mitsuru was standing on the other side of the school gate, phone at her ear.

Yukari crouched beside Hamuko and let out a great sigh. “Thank goodness you’re okay. When you passed out the way you did, I thought you were going to have to spend another week in the hospital… Oh, right, um…”

She dug into her pockets and handed Hamuko a sheet of paper.

“Junpei and I took a look around after you passed out, since Mitsuru-san said it was safe. We couldn’t go any higher because something was blocking the stairs, but I found this near the barrier. I thought you might find it interesting considering… you know…”

Hamuko took the paper, frowning. It looked a little too small for a sheet from a notebook… from a diary, maybe?

“The electricity’s hooked up. But, why do they do they need so much? There’s only a school on this island…” Hamuko murmured. How old was this? There wasn’t an exact date on the page…

“What’re you two whispering about?” Junpei asked.

“Nothing,” Hamuko said, slipping the note into her blazer. She looked over toward the road as an unmarked black sedan pulled up outside the gate. Mitsuru stepped up to the front as the window rolled down and began to converse with the driver.

Junpei raised an eyebrow, but ultimately just stepped over and slapped Hamuko on the shoulder. “Well, come on. Ya did good up there. Not like I could’ve taken that thing…”

“Oh, come on, it’s not like any of us could’ve handled that alone. You helped too!” Yukari said.

“Yeah, yeah.” Junpei let out a yawn. “I dunno about you two, but I’m gonna go hit the hay.”

Hamuko sighed and pushed herself to her feet. Well, it was baby steps. Still… she felt a lot better about this than she had the past couple of visits to Tartarus… even if she was still really sore afterwards. She looked up at the sky, a smile playing on her lips… and felt her blood run cold.

The moon hung nearly full in the sky. All at once, the text of the note from the hospital rushed back to her.

The Full Moon Shadows must live.

How had a month passed so quickly? What had the note even meant by that? The only thing she could think of was that multi-armed monstrosity from the roof, when she had fought for her life and been thrust into things she barely understood. Was another one coming? Was she going to have to face something like that again?

The boy from her hallucinations, the note, the things she found strange about Minato – she’d let them fall aside so easily, too caught up in her personal problems and goals to even give them the time of day. Now she was all too aware that an invisible timer was about to run out.

“Hamuko? Are you coming?” Yukari called out.

Hamuko jolted.

“Yeah, sorry,” Hamuko said, and ran to the car, trying to bury the sense of mounting horror.

Chapter Text

As the final bell rang, Hamuko leaned into her seat. It was no use. She hadn’t been able to focus at all today. She could feel the shadow of the coming night hanging over everything, the anticipation almost paralyzing her.

“Hamuko?”

She looked up to see Yukari standing over her desk.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Hamuko said, sitting up and reaching for her bag. “I was just getting ready to head out.”

“Well… if you say so,” Yukari said. She glanced at the others in the room. “Anyways, did you have a second? I actually wanted to talk to you.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Hamuko said. “Lead the way.”

They walked down to the library together. It was mostly empty — exams weren’t for a couple of weeks, so only the truly dedicated were here at the moment. Yukari pulled her over to a study cubicle in the back of the room, far away from any of the other students, and took a seat on the desk.

“So, tonight’s the full moon…” Yukari said. “I mean, we don’t really know that anything’s going to happen, but if something does… what are we going to do about it?”

“Oh…” Hamuko should have known that was what Yukari wanted to talk about. She forced on a smile. “What we always do, I guess. It’s not like we know what’s coming.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Junpei will be as gung-ho as always,” Hamuko said, grinning. “I’ll just point him at the Shadow and let him take care of it!”

“Nooooo, that’s mean!” Yukari laughed. “Ugh, I’m still so mad at him about the other day. He was such a dick to you for no reason.”

“I think we’ve worked it out, actually? Well, kind of… Minato gave me some advice and I think it helped me smooth things over…” Hamuko said. “I dunno, it still feels like he’s really stuck on this idea that he’s some kind of hero.”

“How’re things going with your ‘secret training’ with Minato anyways?” Yukari asked.

“I mean, it’s really not that secret…” Hamuko murmured. She was pretty sure Akihiko had caught her coming in a couple nights ago, bare minimum. Not that she thought he was going to say anything – if anything, he was probably tacitly in agreement with it. “It’s been fine, though I think Minato’s worrying too much. Sometimes he says these really pointed things that I don’t really get what he’s getting at, and…”

She let out a sigh.

“I’m pretty sure he’s the one who sent me that note,” she said.

“The one from the hospital, right?” Yukari said. “I think you’re probably right. He was in the hospital at the same time as you, and… there’s just something weird about him. I don’t know if he ever told you, but Akihiko-senpai found him in front of Tartarus a little bit before you showed up.”

“Wait, seriously?” Hamuko asked, sitting up straighter.

“Mitsuru-san told me about it later,” Yukari said. “He was apparently really out of it that night, but he acts like he’s been fighting Shadows for a really long time. Plus, there’s this weird vibe between him and Mitsuru…”

As she trailed off, Hamuko thought back to her conversations with Minato. He’d said that he’d been fighting Shadows for over a year… Was there some past between him and the rest of SEES? That would explain some of his specific warnings… but Akihiko didn’t seem to know him that well, and Hamuko had gotten the sense that he’d been around for a while. She still couldn’t quite make sense of this…

“Hey, speaking of that note,” Yukari said, “I didn’t really bring it up since you’ve been kind of busy lately, but I did try to look into the Chairman more.”

“And?” Hamuko asked, sitting up.

“Well… I didn’t really find much, to be honest. I thought that since he’s part of the faculty, I’d be able to find something online, but all that came up didn’t seem relevant. It was a lot of stuff about budgets and school events and stuff…” Yukari suddenly sat up straighter. “But that sent me down a rabbit hole about the school, and that’s when I found out a bunch of the really weird stuff.

She dug into her school bag and pulled out a manila folder. She thrust it into Hamuko’s hands. “Look at this. I dug into the school records and a bunch of newspapers from back then, and I found out that around ten years ago, a lotof students suddenly collapsed and had to be hospitalized. I tried to find out what happened after that, but… all of the records stopped around the time of the explosion. And then the school was remodeled after that…”

Hamuko idly flipped through the folder, scanning over the headlines. “You think it might have been Apathy Syndrome?”

“Maybe? I don’t know…” Yukari said. She shook her head. “I don’t really know how the pieces fit together. I think the only people who might are the Chairman and Mitsuru-san…”

Hamuko closed the folder, sliding it back over to Yukari. She didn’t really know how she could help… It felt like they’d just gone in a circle.

“Excuse me,” said a soft voice from behind her. Hamuko turned to see a mature-looking girl with a library committee armband standing behind her. “I just wanted to let you know that the library will be closing early today.”

“Oh! Sorry, um… Hasegawa-senpai, right? That’s okay, we’re going to head out now,” Yukari said, hopping off of the desk. Hamuko gave her a quick bow before sidling out of the library together with Yukari.

The conversation slid into something casual as they headed out of the school towards the station, though they never managed to get back to the subjects from the library. Hamuko suspected that Yukari might have been consciously avoiding them – just as aware as she was that they didn’t really have answers. As they walked into Port Island Station, Hamuko’s eyes fell on a woman leaning against a lamppost. She stood limply, her skin ashen and glasses askew.

She quickly looked away, only to spot another ashen-skinned man sitting on the stairwell, a station worker lightly tugging on his arm. As Hamuko passed the man, she found her gaze following him, until she tripped over a stair.

“Are you okay?” Yukari asked, hopping back down towards Hamuko. She grabbed Hamuko’s arm to help her to her feet.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. Just… wasn’t watching where I was going,” Hamuko stammered as she watched the station worker step back from the man and began to speak into his radio. As they walked into the station and through the turnstiles, Hamuko couldn’t quite get the man’s face out of her head...

~ X ~

The moment that the alarm went off, Hamuko leapt from her bed. When she got into the command room, she found Mitsuru and Akihiko already there, clearly waiting for her. Just as soon as she walked in, the door to the room crashed open again. She quickly stepped aside as Junpei rushed in, nearly bowling her over.

“Where is it?! I’ll tear it a new one!” he said, pumping his fist.

Minato and Yukari trailed after him, Yukari giving Junpei an exasperated look. Mitsuru nodded to the two of them before beginning to speak.

“We’ve gotten a Shadow reading from Iwatodai Station. The reading is similar to the one from last month,” Mitsuru said. Her expression became serious. “Normal people aren’t aware of the Dark Hour — if it destroys the train, there will be panic. We must eliminate it before it can do so.”

“Got it,” Minato said, turning to leave.

“Minato, you and Akihiko will be staying,” Mitsuru said. Both of them jerked towards her.

“I’m going!” Akihiko snapped. Minato nodded in agreement.

“With your injuries, you’d be a hindrance. Right now, I need you to wait here for the chairman,” Mitsuru retorted.

“I’ve fought something like this before. You need me out there,” Minato said, visibly bristling.

“This isn’t an argument, Arisato,” Mitsuru snapped. Her voice was sharp, with no room for resistance. Minato stepped back, scowling. “If we send everyone in and something goes wrong, we’ll all be at risk. Right now, you’re better here on the backline.”

Minato swore under his breath. He turned to Hamuko, his face stony.

“I’m leaving it up to y—you three,” he quickly corrected himself, looking over Hamuko’s shoulder at Junpei and Yukari. “Be careful. You don’t know anything about this Shadow. You’ll have to think fast. Don’t think you know all of its—“

“Dude, chill,” Junpei said. “Just leave it to us. We’ll clean up the bad guys and be back lickety-split!”

“I’ll be careful,” Hamuko said. “I promise.”

Minato swallowed, and finally nodded. As he stepped back, Mitsuru turned toward them and said, “We’ll meet at Iwatodai Station. Let’s move out.”

As Hamuko ran downstairs with the others to grab her naginata and Evoker, she thought of the past few weeks, and her Personas, and the others. She thought to Akihiko and Minato in the command room, and if Mitsuru making them stay behind was the right idea.

But there was no time to figure that out. She pinned her SEES armband to her jacket, holstered her Evoker, and finally, ran into the night.

~ X ~

Hamuko’s knuckles shone white against her naginata shaft. The three of them ran down the monorail track towards their target. The sharp smell of iron overpowered the dead air of the Dark Hour. She could see the blood red sea beneath the track, visible through the gaps in the service walkway.

“The Shadow signal is in the monorail ahead,” Mitsuru’s voice chimed in her ear.

This was it. This was the moment she’d been warned about. Now she just had to do something about it.

Hamuko’s sprint slowed to a jog as she approached the train. She couldn’t see any movement inside. The doors sat open, as if it was accepting new passengers, even though it should have been midway through its trip. The yawning darkness past the threshold reminded her of a maw – hungry, waiting for them to step through.

“We’re here… right?” Yukari asked.

“Looks like it,” Junpei said as he started to approach the train. “Doesn’t look like there’s anything weird here, though…”

“Maybe it’s inside?” Yukari offered.

Junpei shrugged. “Well, no point in waitin’. After me!”

He stepped up to the service ladder and started to climb it. Hamuko watched him go up the rungs anxiously. There was a tug in the back of her mind. Something about this felt off…

If something feels too convenient, it is. Don’t walk into a trap just because it’s easier not to think about it.

Hamuko leapt for Junpei’s arm. She yanked him back from the ladder, quickly hopping backwards as he landed back on the tracks.

“Ow! What the hell?!” Junpei snapped, turning towards her.

“Something’s wrong,” Hamuko said. “Why are the doors open if we’re not at a station?”

“Maybe it’s some kind of emergency feature? You know, because the power’s out…” Yukari asked, looking at the other two.

Hamuko shook her head vigorously. “But the power’s not really out. It just stopped because of the Dark Hour. I’m telling you, something’s wrong!”

“Kirijo-san said the Shadow’s in there! What’re we gonna do, let it get away?” Junpei said.

“No! But…” Hamuko grit her teeth. This was exactly what she was afraid was going to happen. Why did Junpei have to argue with her about this?! “I wanna radio Mitsuru. I don’t trust this at all.”

She stepped back from the train ladder toward the walkway railing, putting her hand to her earpiece as she turned away. Junpei, grumbling, followed after. The sound of radio static played in her ears for a moment before the signal suddenly focused.

“Arisato? What’s wrong?”

“There’s something weird about the monorail. I think this might be a—“

Something grabbed Hamuko around the waist. She caught only the briefest sight of intricate scrollwork wrapping around her before she found herself yanked backwards towards the train’s open door. Junpei lept for his Evoker.

“Hermes!”

There was a flash – Hamuko caught the briefest glimpse of Hermes launching Junpei – and suddenly he was flying at her. The two of them tumbled through the open door of the train car. Junpei leapt for the scroll and stabbed through it, severing it.

“Are you okay?!” Junpei asked. Hamuko pushed herself up, the remnants of the scroll dissolving into black dust.

“I’m fine, but—“

The doors to the car slammed shut. Junpei leapt to his feet and grabbed at the handle. When it wouldn’t budge, he kicked it, before stumbling back on one foot.

“The hell?! It won’t open!” Junpei yelled.

The train suddenly gave a hard jerk, making both of them stumble. Slowly, the train began to move.

“Oh no,” Hamuko breathed.

Several flashes of black light went off around them. Suddenly the train car was filled with Shadows — black masses of twisting hair, crosses with scales hanging from their arms, and piles of sludge creeping over the benches. As Hamuko and Junpei leapt to the center of the aisle, holding their weapons out to keep the Shadows at bay… The train began to speed up.

Minato leaned over the console in the command room, staring up into the screen. No matter how hard he studied the bouncing bars and lines of the display, he couldn’t find any secret answer as to whether he’d made the right decision.

Even if he’d gotten the opportunity to talk about this with Hamuko in more detail, he didn’t think he’d have been much help. His own memories of that night on the monorail were vague — too drowned out by adrenaline for him to remember them in any kind of clarity. He’d just had to settle for giving her what warnings he could. Whatever happened now he couldn’t control. He just had to have faith that she could handle what happened next.

But even if he knew that, just sitting here and doing nothing was taking every ounce of his self-control. Letting this happen at all was putting them one step closer to the Fall. He should have fought back harder, he should have convinced them to leave this one alone–

(But the train, if they didn’t beat the Shadow, what would it do with the train? Would it crash it out of spite? If that happened, everyone on it would–)

“Hey.”

The voice cut straight through Minato’s spiraling thoughts. He looked up to see Akihiko standing over him.

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” Akihiko said. “They’ll be fine. They’ve got Mitsuru.”

“Like you don’t want to go out there just as bad,” Minato murmured.

Akihiko clicked his tongue, looking away. “I’m not stupid. If I get hurt again fighting a Shadow, it’ll be even longer before I can use this arm again. But that goes for you too. You can’t be rash right now.”

Minato reached his hand up to his shoulder, lightly massaging it. A twinge of pain ran through it at his touch. Akihiko was right, but it didn’t mean he liked hearing it.

He glanced up at Akihiko again. He was watching the camera for the front door — likely waiting to see if the Chairman had shown up yet.

“Hey,” he said. “You were the one who found me at Tartarus, right?”

“Hard to forget. You tried to throw up on my shoes,” Akihiko said.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to,” Minato said. “Why didn’t you ever ask me anything more about that night?”

Akihiko leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.

“Well…” he said, “it never really seemed like my business. We’re fighting the same enemy together. And besides that… I know what it’s like to have a past you can’t talk about.”

Minato’s gaze fell back to the console. He wished that he found that answer more comforting. It wasn’t that he thought Akihiko was lying — he knew him better than that. But he wasn’t confident that he could keep that hidden forever. More than anything else, it wasn’t fair to the others. And if Akihiko learned the full breadth of the truth…

Don’t be stupid, Minato chided himself. Who was the first one to pick themselves up after what happened to Shinjiro? Give him more credit than that.

But this isn’t the same Akihiko, is it? whispered back a dark part of his mind. This one is still running from himself. And you wouldn’t want to be responsible for him running himself into the ground, would you?

The alarm went off on the console, giving Minato a start. Akihiko got to the receiver before he did, leaning in closer to the speaker. “Command room.”

“Akihiko!” Mitsuru’s voice was almost entirely drowned out by the sound of howling wind and an engine. “The Shadow — the train and — Arisato and Iori! Takeba and I — in pursuit!”

Akihiko’s eyes went wide. “Wha—?! Mitsuru! Come in! Mitsuru!”

“Lilim!”

A bolt of electricity cracked through the scale-like Shadow. Junpei charged his way through and smashed his greatsword into it, its spokes breaking apart into black chunks and dust. A Maya flung a fireball at Hamuko’s head, and she hopped back into one of the seats, bumping against a coffin. The fireball burst against the back of Junpei’s head uselessly.

“Ow! Get out of our way!” Junpei snapped as he summoned Hermes. Hamuko pressed her back against the cold surface of the coffin as Junpei’s Persona shot through the train car like a bullet, impaling the attacking Tiara against the door to the previous car.

Good thing that Junpei’s Persona’s so resistant to fire, Hamuko thought as it disappeared. She climbed out of the seat, motioning for him to follow. “Come on! Keep moving!”

She ran for the door to the next car and wrenched it open. The moment Junpei was through, she ducked through and slammed it closed.

“Ari – speeding up – the Shadow – ahead –”

Not now! Hamuko thought as she saw another Tiara ahead. “Junpei!”

“I got it!” Junpei said, dashing ahead. He swung at the Tiara. It leapt into the air out of reach, and launched a fireball at him. “Dammit, stay–”

He swung at it again, only for the tip of his sword to bounce off the ceiling. Hamuko leapt forward, sliding her hand up the shaft of her naginata, and slashed it at the Tiara. She caught it on the flat of the blade and slammed it into the floor. Junpei stomped down on the Tiara and drove his sword through it, its body bursting into dust.

He wiped a bit of sweat off his chin, breathing heavily. “...Thanks.”

Hamuko nodded, gulping. There was just not enough room to maneuver in here. The floor was wider at the points where the benches were flush with the side of the car, but where the benches were horizontal, there was only a small corridor. On top of that, it was just the two of them versus the whole train…

She felt like an idiot. They probably would have still gotten caught if she hadn’t stopped Junpei, but at least they would have had Yukari with them. But instead Junpei had tried to save her and gotten caught up in this whole thing.

Why had it gone after her specifically? Was it targeting her? But why?

And, more importantly, could they use that to their advantage?

“Hey, Junpei, when we get to the Shadow–” Hamuko started.

The two of them suddenly stumbled back as the train once again accelerated. Hamuko’s heart leapt into her throat.

“No time! Go, go, go!” Junpei said, his face going white.

The two of them pushed through the door into the next car. It was empty, with the only movement from the wildly swinging handles on the upper rail. There was a strong chill in the air, and frost was gathering at the back of the car. Hamuko gulped and nodded to Junpei as they approached the frozen-over door. He grabbed the handle, braced his foot against the doorway, and wrenched it open

The ice covering the door shattered, and the door stuck hard into the entrance as the two ran through. What lay on the other side of the door defied Hamuko’s understanding.

Her first thought was about how horrifyingly humanoid it was. It was massive, its emaciated body dominating the car. Its body was divided cleanly down the middle into black and white halves, with letters reading “B” and “J” on its breasts. It slouched against the back of the car, legs spread, lace skirts draped over them to preserve its modesty. Long scrolls – the same ones that had grabbed Hamuko – ran from its head like hair and spread over every surface. The frost that had covered the door engulfed the entire train car, chilling her to the bone.

The Shadow chuckled, turning its eye on Hamuko, and behind the pink butterfly mask that marked it as a member of the Priestess Arcana, Hamuko felt like she saw something like… recognition?

“What the hell…?” Junpei breathed out.

The Priestess raised its hand.

A raging torrent of snow and ice rushed through the car. Hamuko leapt in front of Junpei, putting her Evoker to her head. A massive manta ray-like form threw itself in front of them, holding its wings out like a shield. The rush of snow and ice battered against her concentration. She grit her teeth, trying to focus on maintaining her Persona’s form. Even with Forneus’s protections against the cold, this was too much…!

The Persona began to crack. Hamuko braced herself with her naginana, slid down into a crouching position, and released her hold on Forneus. The Persona shattered just as the torrent of ice and snow finally began to subside.

“Back off!” Hermes leapt forward, launching a ball of fire at the Priestess. It shrieked as the fireball blasted a deep scorch mark into its collarbone. With a scowl, it lifted its hand once more, summoning a swirl of black energy. It coalesced into a Muttering Tiara that leapt at Junpei the moment it solidified.

“Forneus!” Hamuko yelled. An icicle flew through the air, skewering the Tiara before it could reach Junpei. He looked at Hamuko as she pushed herself up, using her naginata for support. “You go for the Shadow! I’ll take care of its friends!”

“Got it!” Junpei said, grabbing his sword with both hands.

The Priestess’s hair swung toward Hamuko like a knife. She leapt backwards as it impacted the floor. Before it could pull back, Junpei swung his blade through the scroll, severing it. Hamuko swung for the Priestess with her naginata, slashing through its midsection. She quickly stepped back as another scroll thrust towards her, just as a pair of fireballs flew past her and exploded against the Priestess’s body.

“Hey, come on, you gotta keep your eye on the real threat!” Junpei said, grinning. The Priestess moaned, putting a hand to its bleeding wound, and then lifted that hand into the air. A black ooze dripped from it, bubbling and morphing into two more Tiaras. Immediately, one of them leapt at Junpei. Hamuko swatted it down with the flat of her blade, and as it smacked against the floor, Forneus speared it through with an icicle.

She looked back at the Priestess to see the second Tiara hanging close to it, white healing magic flowing from its tendrils into its master’s wounds. The Priestess shakily raised its hands and pressed them against the back of the driver’s cabin.

The entire train pulsed with dark energy. The car shook, then leapt forward, almost knocking the two of them off of their feet as it accelerated. Before Hamuko could recover, the Shadow drove its hair into the floor, and the train pulsed again, rushing even faster.

Junpei put his Evoker to his temple and screamed.

A torrent of flame leapt from Hermes. The Tiara peeled itself from the Priestess and flung itself into the attack, the flames licking harmlessly off of its body – as Hamuko leapt off of a bench and speared it against the train’s wall.

Junpei flung himself at the Priestess, knocking his knee into its chin. As it reeled, he stabbed his sword down twice — three times — until he was flung backwards by an explosion of ice.

Hamuko wrenched her naginata free of the wall and put her Evoker to her temple. “ORPHEUS!”

Orpheus slammed its harp into the Priestess. Its hair tendrils snapped and tore as the Priestess fell heavily to the ground. Before it could recover, Hamuko leapt at it. She stomped her foot into its chest and brought her naginata into its neck.

In that instant, she couldn’t feel anything else. The only things in the car were herself, the Shadow below her, and the roaring in her ears.

She lifted her naginata into the air.

THE FULL MOON SHADOWS MUST LIVE

She stopped mid-swing. What was she doing? This was her chance. If she didn’t do this, they were going to die.

THE FULL MOON SHADOWS MUST LIVE

She had it. She just had to cut its head off. Sweat dripped down the shaft of her weapon from her palm. The Priestess wriggled beneath her foot, weakly raising its hands.

THE FULL MOON SHADOWS

All she had to do was finish it. She just had to stop shaking. She just had to…

MUST

She just... had to…

LI—

“Move!”

Junpei tackled Hamuko from behind, sending them both sailing into the driver’s cabin as the ceiling exploded with ice. Something black-and-white crashed through the windshield and into the night sky. Hamuko pushed herself up and flung herself at a bright red lever beneath the console.

The train came to a stop violently. The entire force of its momentum slammed into her, flinging her into the console’s underside. For several seconds, all Hamuko could do was curl into a ball as the sound of squealing brakes rang out around her, until, finally… it stopped.

Gasping, Hamuko uncurled herself. Pain bloomed up her entire side where she’d been flung. She looked over at Junpei and saw him slowly picking himself up, his face ashen.

“Holy shit…” he breathed. “Are we dead?”

“I think… we made it?” Hamuko said, grabbing at her head.

“Arisato, Iori, come in! Are you alright?!” Mitsuru’s voice chimed in Hamuko’s ear.

“We’re kinda bruised up…” Junpei said, pushing himself up.

“The Shadow has escaped into Port Island Station. Takeba and I are nearly there. Wait up and regroup!”

Hamuko pushed herself up onto the console and let out a gasp. The station lay just ahead of them — they’d stopped maybe a few hundred meters from another train. A twirling mass of scrolls spiraled above the station before descending onto the roof, coalescing back into the form of the Priestess. Its scroll-hair spilled over the edges of the roof, draping down the building as the Priestess raised its hands toward the sky as if in prayer.

“Come on!” Hamuko said, scooping her naginata from the floor. She slid open the door and hopped down onto the tracks.

“I’m not letting it get away this time!” Junpei yelled as he ran out after Hamuko.

“No, wait–!”

Mitsuru’s cry went unheard as two ran down the tracks toward the station. As they drew close, Hamuko felt the air chilling, frost clearly beginning to gather on the rails. Her gaze shot to the Shadow on the roof, her eyes widening as she realized the wounds they had left on it were beginning to heal.

“Junpei!” Hamuko cried out, pointing up at the Shadow.

“Oh crap! Where’s a ladder?!” Junpei said, looking around.

Hamuko gave him an exasperated look. “Can’t your Persona fly?!”

“I-I knew that!” Junpei said, adjusting his cap. “Hermes!”

Hermes manifested and leapt into the air. The scrolls rose up like a cage around the Priestess as Hermes swung its foot at them, severing several. Two more scrolls swung at Hermes, spearing it through.

Junpei gasped as if he’d been punched in the stomach, falling backwards. “Okay… That was… not the best idea…”

Hamuko’s mind raced. What could they do?! Fire attacks from here? She felt almost tapped – if it kept blocking like that… Should she wait for Mitsuru and Yukari? But the Priestess was already healing… What could she do? What could she do?!

As Hamuko’s mind raced, a shadow fell across the moon.

She didn’t realize what it was at first. It was like a facsimile of a man riding a skeletal, legless horse, long golden hair billowing out behind it, the glint of the sword driven through its chest visible even at this distance.

The Persona charged and slammed into the Priestess’s back, spearing through its chest with its horn. The Shadow let out a scream as the Persona wrenched itself free, the Priestess tumbling off the roof and onto the rails. For a moment, all Hamuko and Junpei could do was watch it fall.

Then, a man in a beanie and red peacoat emerged onto the platform, panting heavily, Evoker in hand.

“What are you doing?! Finish it off!” he snapped.

That was enough to shake Hamuko out of her paralysis. She and Junpei ran forward, grabbing their Evokers, and stopped just before the Priestess. It looked up at them as they approached, the same, placid smile as ever playing on its lips even as it bled out. Its gaze turned to Hamuko, and for a second, she thought she saw something like a grin on its face.

The two of them put their Evokers to their temples.

“Orpheus!”

“Hermes!”

In a single combined blast of hellfire, they incinerated it, leaving behind only dust.

~ X ~

Junpei gulped down a sports drink hungrily next to Hamuko. She couldn’t even bring herself to tell him to slow down. She was so drained that all she could think about was her bed.

With the Priestess gone and some time until the Dark Hour ended, they found themselves sitting on the benches at Port Island Station. Yukari crouched over Hamuko, hands held to her bruises as her Persona focused on sending soothing healing magic into them. A couple feet away, Mitsuru and their savior were chatting, Mitsuru’s motorcycle idling nearby.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Aki I was here,” Shinjiro said.

“I’ll do my best,” Mitsuru said. “We would have been in trouble if you hadn’t arrived. We’re in your debt.”

“I was just in the area. Thought I should come investigate after I heard the train.” Shinjiro slipped his hands into his pockets. His voice dipped into a murmur. “You’re lucky I forgot to…”

He glanced at Mitsuru, and then looked away.

“...Never mind,” he said.

A complicated, regretful expression passed over Mitsuru’s face. It made Hamuko raise an eyebrow – she didn’t think she’d ever seen that look on her before. She was always so stony-faced and serious… As Hamuko had that thought, Shinjiro glanced over at her, and she flinched, quickly looking away. Suddenly, Yukari grabbed at Hamuko’s arm, pulling her to face her.

“Hold still! Geez, what did you two do to yourselves? Junpei was roughed up so bad, too…” Yukari said. Junpei pulled the bottle away from his lips.

“Yeah, because we were nearly in a train crash?!” Junpei said.

“And whose fault is that?!”

“The Shadow’s?! Because it kidnapped her?!”

“Hey,” said a voice from above Hamuko.

She looked up to see Shinjiro standing over her. He was a lot taller close up than he’d seemed when she’d overheard him and Akihiko talking… She leaned back a bit, giving him a nervous smile.

“You’re the one leading things these days?” he asked. She nodded. “Hm.”

He turned away, staring off at something in the distance, and then looked back down at her.

“Let me ask you something. What exactly are you fighting for?” Shinjiro asked.

Hamuko opened her mouth to answer, and then closed it. She really wasn’t sure she had an answer for that. It had just seemed the right thing to do after everything that had happened to her.

“...I don’t know,” Hamuko said. “I just feel like I have to.”

Shinjiro clicked his tongue. He turned towards Junpei and Yukari. “And you two?”

Junpei shot up at attention, putting a fist to his chest. “S-So we can save the world!”

Yukari looked away. “I’ve got my own reasons.”

As they answered, Shinjiro gave them a gaze that Hamuko could only read as judgmental. Junpei winced, looking away quickly. Mitsuru let out a sigh and stepped over to the group.

“Aragaki, there’s no need to lecture them,” she said.

“Wasn’t planning to. I just want to make sure they’re doing things for the right reasons,” Shinjiro said. “It’s none of my business anyways. I’m getting out of here before the Dark Hour ends. As for you…”

He looked back at Hamuko.

“...Aki worries too much. Seems to me like you’re doing fine,” he said. “Just think a little harder about why you’re doing what you’re doing.”

Without another word, he slipped his hands into his pockets and started walking away, towards an alleyway that led behind the station. Hamuko watched him as he walked, letting out a small breath as he passed around the corner.

“Who was that guy?!” Junpei exclaimed. “He was so cool…”

“An old friend,” Mitsuru said with a wry smile. She turned toward the three of them. “You all did excellently. While the monorail did sustain some damage, you were able to protect everyone on it, and that is what matters.”

Yukari looked away. “I just wish I could’ve been there…”

“Hey, it’s fine. Nothin’ we couldn’t handle. Ain’t that right, Leader?” Junpei said, giving Hamuko a grin. He held up a closed fist, and Hamuko glanced at it for a second before the meaning of the gesture hit her. She tapped it with her own fist.

“Yeah. We really showed them,” she said, grinning back at him.

With the Dark Hour beginning to wind down, they slipped off of the benches and began the walk back to the dorm. As they crossed the Moonlight Bridge, bodies aching, Hamuko found herself staring back at the full moon above.

Whatever had come to pass that night was done. She couldn’t take it back. All she could do was keep moving forward. Shinjiro’s words echoed in her ears once more.

“Think a little harder about why you’re doing what you’re doing.”

Was he right? Had she just been going with what everyone wanted of her? Even though she had questions, she hadn’t been pursuing them wholeheartedly. She’d just been trying not to rock the boat. Maybe that was all she’d ever done.

Maybe she’d made a mistake tonight by killing that Shadow. But if she had… she at least wanted to understand it. She couldn’t keep going like this.

As she had that thought, somewhere in the city, a butterfly’s wings fluttered.

Chapter Text

April 10th, 2009 — One month prior to the monorail attack

“For now, sleep… We shall meet again…”

With a gasp, Minato Arisato lurched up in his bed. He leapt out of the covers, stumbling on his first step. Where was he? There were white curtains separating him on both sides from the rest of the room, and machinery beeping next to his bed. The last thing he remembered was the Velvet Room, and before that, the dormitory roof. His back and arms throbbed with a dull pain – mementos of the previous night, no doubt.

He shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. Machinery, white curtains… He must have been in Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. Light shone through the window on the other side of the curtain. He raised a hand to shield his face. With unsteady footsteps, he approached the edge of the curtain. As he turned the corner, he froze.

Hamuko laid in the bed next to the window. A hollow part of him felt like laughing. No wonder he hadn't recognized the room immediately. Hamuko was sleeping in his bed.

He stepped up to the foot of the bed mechanically. Someone had taken her hair clips out. Her hair was a lot longer than he’d thought it was from first glance. Had to go down to her shoulders… 

How long had that taken to grow out? How much time did she spend on it every morning? He couldn’t even comprehend it. He’d never put that much thought into his appearance — he’d always been careful to keep his hair trimmed so school officials would leave him alone, but that had been it.

Hamuko clearly felt differently. She tied her hair up and pinned back her bangs so they didn’t get in the way like his did. Looking at her now, he could even see that she wore light makeup — just enough that it looked natural unless he was looking closely.

He found himself walking around the bed and taking a seat in the chair next to her. What else had been different for her? Had their parents treated her differently? Did her relatives push her to be a good wife, or did they let her choose her own path? When he thought of how his family had looked at him, he remembered their sullen stares as he’d retreated into himself. He struggled to imagine someone who shone so much like the sun acting like he had back then, content in the knowledge that it didn’t matter if he lived or died.

Thinking back on the person he’d been before meeting SEES made him feel embarrassed, if he was being honest with himself. He hadn’t understood anything. It was only because of them that he had been able to understand the truth at the end.

He loosely clasped his hands together in his lap, his knee jittering.

Why was he alive?

He’d made his choice. It had been painful, it had been full of regrets – and he’d left so many promises unfulfilled in the end. But he’d accepted it was coming. That he could do that at all was more than many people got.

And now he found himself back here, in the same hospital, in the same year. A stranger in the lives of his friends as someone else walked in his shoes toward the same end. If this was a reward, it was a sick one. 

The heart monitor beeped slowly. He sat hunched over, leg shaking. The shadows shifted as the sun rose higher in the sky. 

Finally, he made his decision.

If Igor had summoned him to the Velvet Room, then he still had a contract. And if he had a contract, then he must have a key. He held his hand out and squeezed it into a fist, concentrating. As if answering his call, he felt something small and cold fall into his palm. When he opened it, he found a blue key lying there.

He knew how Igor was. He probably wouldn’t get a straight answer. But it was better than doing nothing.

~ X ~

He knew the way to Paulownia Mall by heart. Whether it had been for part-time jobs, or to hang out with his friends, or just to talk with Officer Kurosawa about new equipment for everyone, he’d been there more often than he’d been to most places in this town. Something was different this time, though. He couldn’t remember a time where he’d walked in and been so aware of everyone’s eyes on his back. He could feel housewives and retirees tracking his uniform as he walked the mall while class was in session. 

He slid into the alley beneath the karaoke bar. The door at the back of the alley gave off a blue light, illuminating it. Minato draped his headphones around his shoulders and let out a sigh. He put the key in the knob, turned the door, and stepped through the threshold.

When the light faded, he was seated at a familiar table in a grand elevator. The piano played from somewhere distant, far beyond the elevator’s walls. Across from him was Igor. Standing dutifully next to him was a man in a blue suit. He felt familiar, somehow. White hair and gold eyes… Just like Elizabeth’s.

Igor leaned forward, tenting his fingers. “Ah, I see that you have returned. Welcome to the Velvet Room.”

Minato relaxed into the back of his chair. After how off-balance the past few days had left him, just hearing Igor’s voice felt like it had managed to ground him a little.

“I did not have time to introduce him to you during our last contact, but this is Theodore,” Igor said, motioning to the man next to him. “He too is a resident of the Velvet Room.”

Theodore put a hand to his chest and bowed. “I am pleased to meet you. From what I understand, you were well acquainted with my sister. I hope that I can serve you as well as she did.”

Minato nodded. Where was Elizabeth, anyways? Even when Igor had been absent from the Velvet Room, she never was. Had something happened while he was gone?

“I apologize for not getting in contact with you sooner. Unfortunately, pressing matters have forced me to neglect my duties,” Igor said. “While I had intended on explaining your situation to you upon your arrival, I suspect you have had more than enough time to figure it out on your own.”

Minato’s gaze fell to the table. All of the questions he had intended to ask felt stupid now. Igor was right – he knew exactly where he was and what had happened to him. He was in another world, and Hamuko was in the place he had occupied in his own world.

“Is Hamuko me?” Minato asked, looking up.

Igor tilted his head to the side, seemingly deep in thought. “That is certainly a way to consider her existence, but it is not strictly correct. She is but another possibility in the tangled web of choices that dictate reality. While the two of you are tethered to the same fate, you are not the same person.”

Minato chewed over that uncomfortably. It was a confirmation of what he had already been mulling over at the hospital, though he still couldn’t quite understand how they’d gotten from point A to point B. Even if Hamuko was an alternate him, she’d still grown up differently enough that she might as well be a separate person. All because their parents happened to have a girl in this world instead of a boy…

…But that difference didn’t matter in the face of everything else, did it? The world was still ending. The more he thought about it, the more he felt a strange weight upon him.

“...Why am I here?” Minato asked.

“It seems that is the will of my master,” Igor said, the ever-present grin on his face seeming to grow thinner. “When you were relieved of the burden of the Seal, your soul was meant to pass on to its final rest. However, my master chose instead to bring you to this world. Therefore, we have facilitated your existence in this reality so that you may exist alongside your other self.”

Minato looked down at his hands. So, the feeling of being out of place hadn’t just been in his head, then. “You said my existence is weakened. Is that from… what I did?”

The question made Igor chuckle.

“Do not be ashamed to admit your weakness. You spent quite a bit of time shouldering the world’s burdens. One would be hard pressed to find someone who could take such a task upon themselves without coming away affected by that,” Igor said with a lilt of amusement. “Yes, you are weakened. But you are not broken. Do not forget that.”

Minato nodded, but didn’t respond. He couldn’t deny what Igor said, but it was hard to take pride in that fact at the moment.

“Your time as the Seal has left your psyche greatly exhausted. Though you still possess the Wild Card and the bonds that empowered you in the past remain, calling upon Personas that are not wholly your own will strain your heart. I must warn against attempting to use them at this time, lest you drain your remaining power completely,” Igor said. “However, do not be disheartened by this development. As I am sure you have observed in your companions, there are benefits to nurturing a single potential over a myriad of Personas. What you have lost in flexibility, you have gained in focus.”

Minato’s thoughts drifted to Orpheus, and as they did, he felt a slight weight fall into his palm. He looked down to see he was now holding a card bearing Orpheus’s image. It felt so strange to be aware of its presence again. Like he was back at square one.

The card flickered away into blue flames, and he slid his hands back into his pockets. When he looked back up at Igor, the man waved a hand over the table. In a flash of light, the worn and cracked contract from the previous night appeared in front of him.

“I must ask a question of you. When we last met in your world, our involvement had ended. Now, through a gift of providence, we find ourselves together once again,” Igor said. “Should you choose, you may renew your contract with the Velvet Room. Whether events shall play out as they once did or you interfere more directly is your choice. Your path lies wide open before you.”

As Minato stared down at the aged leather cover, he felt his memories of the past year rise up like bile.

One year. That was all they had. The moment Hamuko had stepped off of that train, the timer had started, and none of them had any idea.

The option was there, of course. To just stand idly by and let it all happen. Let those who died die, let the Fall come, and let Hamuko give herself up all over again. He could enjoy his second lease at life and ignore the pain in his periphery.

Even considering the idea made him want to be sick. Just knowing the future and not saying anything was cruel enough. Stepping aside and not doing anything with the knowledge he had would be monstrous.

But even then, was it right for him to do anything? He was someone unstuck from time and thrust into a world that wasn’t his. Did he even have the right to interfere in their lives?

His gaze fell on the cracked leather folio in front of him, and something inside him finally settled. I chooseth this fate of mine own free will. He sucked in a breath, closed his eyes, and let it go.

“Pass me a pen,” he said, and opened the cover.

~ X ~

Before long, Minato found himself standing in front of the Velvet Room’s threshold. He stepped back out into the plaza and took a seat by the fountain. He leaned back against the bench, staring up at the skylight. Tinny 80’s pop played from the speakers in the ceiling. It sounded familiar, somehow.

Oh, he thought duly. Mutatsu always liked it when they played this one at Club Escapade. He always said that they’d stopped making good music after he became a monk, so there was no point in listening to the new stuff…

He closed his eyes, drinking in the sound. After a few moments, he let out a sigh. What was he doing? Everything felt so daunting. The easy thing to do now would be to tell everyone to stay away from the Shadows that appeared on full moons. But he wasn’t sure if staying away from Death’s fragments forever was the best idea, not with the Lost’s numbers growing every day. Doing nothing meant a slow death, failing meant a sudden, painless one. 

Still, it couldn’t be a bad idea to at least try and say something. Even if it was just to see what unraveled when he pulled on that thread.

That was without touching the other big issues, though. Like Ikutsuki… Mitsuru had such complete trust in him that if Minato just spilled the beans completely, she might just kick him out of SEES for trying to slander the Chairman. The others, though, maybe they’d be easier to convince…

As for Strega and Shinjiro and all of the other little things along the way, he didn’t even know where to begin with them. Was it too much to hope that they just fell into place as he went? Not to mention Fuuka…

He let out a slow sigh. He’d said what he said to Igor, but… really, what could he do?

“Dude, what are you doing here?”

Minato shot up, looking over to see Junpei standing over him.

“Junpei?” He slipped his hands into his pockets. “I, uh… skipped class.”

“Aw, what? It’s the first week!” Junpei said.

Minato scowled. “What’s your excuse?”

Junpei scratched the side of his cheek awkwardly. “Eh, I just… wasn’t feeling very good this morning, ya know…?”

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other. Minato narrowed his eyes, and Junpei grinned awkwardly back at him. Finally, Minato let out a sigh.

“I won’t tell Ms. Toriumi if you don’t,” he said.

“Sounds like a deal to me!” Junpei swung a thumb over his shoulder. “Wanna go hit up the arcade?”

Minato got to his feet, suddenly feeling invigorated. That sounded great, actually. Maybe he just needed to go clear his head. He followed Junpei into the arcade, the thoughts of the days to come drifting away just a little bit as the two of them debated which game to hop on first…

~ X ~

“Aw, come on, man! That move was so cheap! Let’s go again, just one more round!”

“Absolutely not,” Minato said as he slipped off of the bench and stepped away from the cabinet.

“Come onnnnn. Just pick a real character this time. No zoners, just mano-a-mano like real men,” Junpei said as he pulled his jacket back on and made to follow Minato.

Minato just rolled his eyes. Maybe if Junpei hadn’t done a wake-up super literally every time he got knocked down, he would’ve gotten a couple of rounds on him. Minato wasn’t going to point that out to him, though. That’d be rubbing salt in the wound. As they stepped aside, Minato pulled out his wallet and started thumbing through it.

“So, what’re you thinking? They got the latest version of that train sim game in last week, but, uh, I don’t think that’s multiplayer,” Junpei said.

“I think I need more tokens,” Minato said.

“I can spot ya a couple,” Junpei said. Minato looked up at him, blinking. “What?”

“That’s generous.”

“Hey! I take offense to that,” Junpei said, reeling back in mock offense.

He pulled a couple of gold coins from his pocket and handed them over to Minato. As Minato slipped them into his own pocket, Junpei nervously scratched at his cheek.

“I was just thinkin’, this time at the arcade and that time we went to the store the other day’s the only times I’ve seen you loosen up at all,” Junpei said. Minato looked away, scowling. “I know it’s only been a few days ‘n’ all, but I feel like every time I see ya, you seem kind of down. Kinda figured that was why you were playing hooky, to be honest. I was the new kid a couple of years back too, so… I know it can be kinda hard.”

“I grew up around here, actually,” Minato said.

“No kidding? Why’d ya leave? If, uh… you don’t mind me asking.”

“My parents passed away,” Minato said. The words came out automatically. He regretted it immediately as he looked up at Junpei’s face. He could already see the look of awkward pity on his face.

“...Sorry, man. I didn’t know,” Junpei said.

“Don’t be. I’m the one who brought it up,” Minato said. “In any case… thanks. For looking out for me, I mean. I appreciate it.”

“What can I say? It’s what I’m here for,” Junpei said, grinning.

Suddenly, there was a beep from Minato’s pocket. He pulled out his phone and flipped it open. He had a new text message…

– FROM: MITSURU

Come to the fourth-floor meeting room immediately.

“Oh shit,” Minato whispered, face blanching.

“What’s up?” Junpei asked.

“I think Mitsuru found out I left the hospital without saying anything,” Minato said.

“You were in the hospital?!”

“I’ll tell you about it later – I-I gotta go,” Minato said, slipping his phone into his pocket. He gave Junpei a quick wave goodbye before taking off towards the mall entrance, a chorus of shitshitshitshit echoing in his head.

~ X ~

Minato burst through the front doors of the dorm and ran for the stairs. His head spun with paranoid thoughts of what was waiting for him. He’d been thinking so much about Igor when he’d left the hospital that he’d completely forgotten about everyone else at SEES and what they’d think. Before he knew it, he was on the fourth floor. He sucked in a breath to steady himself, placed his hand on the double doors, and pushed them open.

Mitsuru sat at the table, a book in hand. She was alone, much to Minato’s relief. He glanced over at the console on the left wall. It was running, though several of the camera feeds currently displayed static. Not the one for this room, though. He quietly began to approach as Mitsuru looked up. She slid a bookmark into the page and placed the book aside, crossing her legs in front of her.

“Please, take a seat,” she said.

Minato slid into the seat across from her. “Where are the others?”

“Akihiko is still in the hospital. I believe Takeba is visiting him and Hamuko right now,” Mitsuru said.

Mitsuru sat up a little straighter, her expression hardening without anger. Minato pulled himself out of his slight slouch in return. If she was shifting into business mode, he needed to do the same.

“First of all, I would like to thank you for your assistance during the fight with the Shadow last night,” Mitsuru said. “Takeba told me that you immediately recognized the danger on the first floor and directed her and Hamuko to the roof. Furthermore, you protected the two of them after Hamuko collapsed. Without you, the two of them would have been in further danger. You showed quick thinking and excellent leadership skills.”

“Thank you,” Minato said, bowing his head.

“Considering the circumstances in which you arrived to us, I don’t believe I need to explain why you were placed in this dormitory,” Mitsuru said. “Normally, this would be where I explained our group’s purpose to you and asked if you would like to join us. However, there are… questions I must ask of you.”

He straightened up, knee trembling. He hoped she couldn’t see it.

“I will be blunt. For how long have you been able to summon a Persona?”

He felt his heart rate jump. Had he been that obvious? No, of course he had. He’d been yelling at Hamuko to go for the Evoker, after all. He breathed in, steeled himself, and finally gave his answer. “About a year.”

“I see,” Mitsuru said. “Then allow me another question. Why were you at Tartarus a few nights previous?”

Minato opened his mouth, and then closed it. He couldn’t think of a cover story that didn’t sound like bullshit. He could feel Mitsuru’s eyes boring into him as she waited for his answer.

After a few seconds without reply, she sighed and said, “A third question, then. If you were able to use a Persona already, why were you so disoriented when Akihiko found you?”

“I don’t know,” Minato said honestly.

“Akihiko said that you acted as though you knew him. Were you already aware of our operations in Port Island before you met him?”

He couldn’t muster an answer. Of course he knew what the truth was. But if he spoke it, it would open so many doors he didn’t want opened. Mitsuru crossed her arms and tapped her fingers against her elbow, the air growing icier between them. 

“Let’s move on. Upon reviewing you and Hamuko’s records, I have found the similarities are too strong to blame on mere coincidence. I have no doubts of Hamuko’s identity. Yours, however, leaves much to question,” Mitsuru said coldly. “Is ‘Minato Arisato’ truly your name? Or was this a poor attempt to steal Hamuko’s identity so that you could sneak into SEES?”

Minato’s resolve faltered completely. His gaze fell toward his hands as his shoulders slacked. His hands were shaking as he tried to gather his words.

“I’ll stop beating around the bush, then. Arisato, did you know that the attack last night was going to happen?”

He didn’t respond. He didn’t know how to respond.

The room filled with a deafening silence. It was only when Mitsuru sighed and leaned back into her chair that Minato looked up. She was grasping at her upper arm, slouched somewhat to the side. There was a vulnerability in her expression that she let slip only rarely.

“I don’t want this to be an interrogation, but it’s obvious to me that your presence here is not an accident. All I want is for us to be on the same page,” Mitsuru said. “If the Kirijo Group has done anything to hurt you, I want to make amends for it where possible. But you have to talk to me, Arisato.”

Minato looked away. Even knowing that this wasn’t the Mitsuru he’d known, he couldn’t bring himself to lie to her face. His eye wandered to the machine at the back of the room, and then the chair at the head of the table — the same chair that Ikutsuki had sat in and lied to them from so many times during their briefings — and he felt a cold anger rise inside him.

“Were you ever going to tell them that the Kirijo Group caused the Dark Hour?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

Mitsuru’s eyes widened. She squeezed her forearm harder, her expression twisted in guilt. “That… It wasn’t my intention to—“

“I get it. You have your reasons to keep your secrets. But I have mine too,” Minato said. She looked up at him with a steely expression, and he met her gaze. No backing down. Not this time. “I promise that I’m not your enemy. When I’m ready, I’ll tell you everything. I swear it.”

He held his gaze steady. A droplet of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he was thankful it was on the side that his hair covered. Acid burned in his throat. Something wavered in Mitsuru’s gaze, and suddenly, she turned away from him, letting out a sigh.

“I see,” she said.

She released her grip, her hands falling back into her lap. When she turned toward him now, her expression was calm once more. Minato found himself relaxing his fists – he hadn’t even realized he’d clenched them.

“I suppose that we shall leave it at that for now,” Mitsuru said. “But I will hold you to your word. For now, let’s return to the main point of business. As I suspect you already know, it was our intent to scout you and Hamuko for SEES. With you two on our side, we would finally have the numbers we need to explore Tartarus in full. Should you join, you would be expected to assist us in this endeavor. We’ve prepared an Evoker for you, and you would be allowed to keep your room in this dormitory. Of course, if you’d prefer a room in the boys’ dorm, that can be arranged as well…”

“No, I’ll stay. I’m in,” Minato said.

Mitsuru quirked an eyebrow. Had that been too fast? Should he have pretended to consider it a little longer? But she just nodded solemnly and kept going.

“I appreciate it. Your assistance will be extremely helpful in the coming months,” Mitsuru said. “However, I would like to discuss a separate matter with you. Once Hamuko recovers, the chairman was hoping that we could commence exploration of Tartarus. Due to the tower’s structure, ground support is required, so not all of our number can enter at once. I will be acting as support for the time being, but since Akihiko is nursing an injury, a combat leader will need to be chosen from between you, Hamuko, and Takeba.”

Minato nodded.

“Despite my concerns earlier, I have already discussed the matter with Akihiko, and he and I are in agreement. We believe you are best suited for this role.”

Minato’s thoughts ground to a halt.

“What?” he asked.

“You showed good leadership and didn’t hesitate for a second to use your Evoker. Those are skills that are necessary in battle. I believe you would be the correct choice,” Mitsuru said.

Minato frowned, looking away. Shouldn’t they have asked Hamuko once she woke up? No, he realized. It was because he was here that they weren’t asking her. He’d jumped straight into the fight while those two had hesitated, and immediately staked his place.

It wasn’t like he was immediately balking at the idea, but there were downsides. It would throw the others off too much if they had to switch leaders partway through the year. It also meant he couldn’t move as freely as he’d like. It’d become his responsibility to lead during Tartarus expeditions and the full moon fights. He’d be under the direct scrutiny of the Chairman. If, at any point, he had to stand apart from SEES to achieve his goals, he’d be sabotaging all of them.

And, more than anything, if he hadn’t been here… Hamuko would have been getting asked this question instead.

“...Please let me think about it,” Minato said.

“Very well,” Mitsuru said. “You’re free to go.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. As he reached the door, he was interrupted by Mitsuru’s voice.

“Arisato?”

He turned to face her.

“Regardless of what was said before, I hope that you can place your trust in me. And…” She looked away, unsaid feelings casting shadows over her face. “...Thank you for agreeing to help.”

Minato gave a silent nod, and closed the door behind him.

~ X ~

After that conversation, Minato didn’t have much interest in hanging out at the dormitory. Maybe later, but he didn’t think he wanted to be around whenever Yukari or Akihiko got back from the hospital. As he descended the stairs, he tried to keep his thoughts off of the next few months by thinking about dinner. His bank and transit cards still worked — probably courtesy of the Velvet Room — so if he wanted, he could go splurge on something in town. On the other hand, there was nothing like convenience store food when you felt like shit…

He didn’t notice that someone else was coming up the stairs as he turned the corner. They slammed into each other, knocking Minato out of his thoughts. He heard a tumble and a thud as he caught himself on the bannister.

“Crap! I am so sorry—“ Minato turned around and stretched his hand out reflexively, only for his breath to catch as he saw the man on the floor.

“Don’t worry about it. It was my fault for not paying attention,” Ikutsuki said as he took Minato’s hand. He pushed himself up, brushing himself off. “If only I had another set of eyes, I would have seen you coming. Then I would truly be ‘four-eyed’ , wouldn’t I?”

“U-Uh, yeah,” Minato said.

“I take it you’ve finished talking with Mitsuru? Did you give any thought to joining us?” Ikutsuki said.

“I told her I’m in,” Minato said stiffly.

“That’s wonderful!” Ikutsuki said, smiling. “It’ll benefit us greatly to have someone with experience on our side. In any case, I won’t hold you up any longer. I look forward to seeing your performance on the field later!”

“…Right,” Minato said, and without another word, he ran down the stairs, too fast to notice Ikutsuki turning back around to watch him as he retreated, his eyes following him all the way to the front door. As it closed behind Minato with a soft click, Ikutsuki pushed up his glasses.

“Hm,” he said, and continued up the stairs.

Chapter Text

“Hi, how are you?”

Hamuko pushed herself up with a groan. Her body ached from top to bottom, the bruises from the monorail fight still an uncomfortable companion after she’d taken the day to rest. The dim light of the Dark Hour illuminated her room enough that she could see her visitor standing at the end of the bed, swaying in that way that young kids did when they were excited.

“It seems that you’ve overcome your ordeal,” the boy from the hospital said. “But I sense that fate has somehow shifted. A path that seemed so certain is now murkier… If only by a little bit.”

Hamuko rubbed her eye with her palm, trying to ward off her drowsiness. “What, are you trying to say that you know my future?”

“All paths lead to the same end, even if the way there is different,” the boy said, smiling. “But don’t worry. Whatever happens, I will be there by your side.”

Hamuko sighed. At least he was trying to be encouraging, but it all just sounded like a lot of waffle. If he knew something, he should just say it outright… She slipped out of her sheets, looking at the boy more fully. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time they’d talked since the hospital. The last time she’d seen him, he’d disappeared right after she’d noticed him…

“...Hey, I just remembered,” Hamuko said, looking up at him. “Why were you watching me and Minato at Iwatodai Station?”

The boy blinked, as if the question surprised him. “That night? I was… curious. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something… familiar about that man.”

Hamuko sat up straighter. “Familiar how?”

“I don’t know,” the boy said, putting a hand to his chest. Something faltered in his expression. “Like… an echo. A ripple of something I once knew…”

He fell silent, clenching his shirt in his fist.

“...There’s still so much that I don’t remember,” he said, looking up at Hamuko with a wry smile. “Perhaps at the end of this road, I will understand my true self. For now… I’ll see you again later.”

Without another word, he stepped back into the shadows of Hamuko’s room, the stripes of his pajamas seeming to meld with the darkness. Before Hamuko could say a word, he was gone, and she was alone.

~ X ~

The attack on the monorail had gone largely unnoticed by people around the neighborhood. The usual train had been taken off the rails for repairs, but since it wasn’t the only one on the line, service had continued. As a result, the most substantial reaction Hamuko had seen was from some boys on the way to school complaining about the new train schedule. They hadn’t noticed what Hamuko immediately had: the Lost that had been hanging around the station were all gone.

With midterms rapidly approaching, club activities had been canceled all over school. As much as Hamuko appreciated the break from volleyball practice considering she was still recovering from being in a train crash, the feeling of impending doom meant that she couldn’t really appreciate the reprieve. No matter how she turned it, she just didn’t feel prepared – she’d spent too many nights in Tartarus and training with Minato, and not enough with her nose in a book.

As the bell rang for lunch, Yukari came over and took a seat on the desk next to Hamuko and Junpei. “How are you two feeling?”

“Exhausted,” Hamuko said.

“Dude, you’re telling me. I couldn’t get out of bed at all yesterday,” Junpei groaned. “Plus, I have the biggest bruise right on my–”

“Ooookay, I do not want to hear about that,” Yukari interrupted, putting up a hand. “Anyways, I was thinking about setting up a study group with everyone back at the dorm. You know, since exams are coming up? Mitsuru-san always makes a big deal about making sure we’re keeping up with our homework, so I can’t imagine she’d say no.”

Junpei scratched his goatee. “Getting to take a peek at the school valedictorian’s notes, huh… I see what you’re getting at, Yuka-tan…”

Yukari scoffed. “You should be more worried about yourself. If Mitsuru-san finds out you’ve been slacking as much as you’ve been, you’re going to be in serious trouble.”

“Hey! I pay attention in class!” Junpei said. “Besides, I’ve always got my best buddy Hamu-tan here to help me out when I forget stuff! Ain’t that right?” He elbowed Hamuko, grinning wildly.

“‘Hamu-tan’?” Hamuko repeated disbelievingly. She rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder towards Minato’s desk. Unsurprisingly, it was empty. “Did you ask Minato too?”

“I wanted to, but he left the moment the bell rang, like usual,” Yukari said. “I wonder what he does after class… I feel like I never see him around.”

Junpei quirked an eyebrow. “Whaddya mean? He’s on the track team, right?”

“Yeah, I know that, but it’s not like they meet every day,” Yukari said, kicking her feet a little. “And it’s not just after school, either. He’s never around the dorm on our days off. It kind of feels like he’s up to something…”

“Hey, a man’s gotta have his secrets,” Junpei retorted. “Besides, what would you do even if you knew?”

“I dunno. I was just kind of curious,” Yukari said. “Oh yeah, speaking of Minato, did you hear? The doctor said that him and Akihiko-senpai both should be good to come back after next week.”

“No kidding?” Junpei said, sitting up. “I dunno about Minato, but like… Akihiko-senpai’s the captain of the boxing team, yeah? I heard he’s undefeated… Or, uh, close enough, anyways. ‘Course, with how hard our leader over here’s been working us, I bet I could take him.”

“As if!” Yukari said, laughing.

Hamuko glanced at the time on her phone, then hopped up from her seat. “I’m going to go grab something to drink.”

She headed out of the classroom into the hallway, and then downstairs towards the school store. There weren’t that many students who hung around the club rooms at this time of day – in fact, the only ones Hamuko saw were a group of girls in heavy makeup chatting it up by the door to the science lab. Just from the snippets of their conversation that she could gear, Hamuko already knew she wanted to give them a wide berth. Bitchy girls tended to run in packs, and the loudest one was currently gossiping about how Ms. Kanou totally stuffed her bra.

Suddenly, a girl with short-cropped green hair came barreling down the hall from the lobby, a stack of papers held close to her chest. As she passed the group, Hamuko thought she saw one of them, a spray-tanned girl with bleached hair, subtly turn her foot outward.

The green-haired girl tumbled to the ground, the stack flying everywhere. The pack cackled wildly as she scrambled to gather them.

“Wow, Fuuka, if you wanted boys to look up your skirt, you could have just asked them,” said the spray-tanned girl.

“Ew, like any of them would want to look at her granny panties anyways!” said the girl next to her.

“Awww, and I went through all of the trouble of getting a photo for them too!” said a third. Fuuka’s eyes widened.

“P-Please don’t–” Fuuka leapt to her feet, the papers she’d managed to gather slipping out of her grasp. She froze, paralyzed by her need to both clean up her mess and fight back. The third girl let out a loud cackle.

“Oh my gawd, you actually thought I did it?!” she guffawed. “Lighten up! We’re just having fun!”

“Come on, Maki, I’m starving. Let’s get out of here,” the tanned girl said. The pack of girls started down the hallway away from Fuuka as she crouched down again.

Hamuko waited for them to leave earshot before picking up a page that had landed by her foot. She walked over, crouched next to Fuuka, and held it out to her.

“Here, I think this is yours,” she said.

Fuuka looked up, then bowed her head again as she took the sheet. “...Thank you.”

“Don’t listen to them. They just get their kicks from being mean,” Hamuko said as she helped gather the fallen pages. As she handed them over to Fuuka, she gave her a smile. “I’m Hamuko Arisato. It’s nice to meet you!”

“I’m… Fuuka Yamagishi.” Fuuka said quietly. Suddenly, she looked up, eyes wide. “W-wait, you said ‘Arisato’...?” 

Before Hamuko could stop her, Fuuka suddenly slapped her hands to the tops of her thighs and bowed her head deeply.

“I-If you don’t mind, please tell your brother that I appreciate him reaching out, and I really do wish I could help, but I’m just not comfortable doing that kind of thing, and–”

“Woah! Slow down!” Hamuko said, putting up her hands. “First off, are you talking about Minato? We’re not related.”

Fuuka looked up, blinking. “You’re not? I’m sorry, I just assumed…”

Hamuko waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, everyone always does. But did something happen between you two? You can tell me if it did.” She pretended to look around for any passersby (of which there were none) and leaned in, whispering. “I’ll beat him up if you want me to.”

Fuuka blanched, shaking her head vigorously. “Th-That won’t be necessary! I just wanted to apologize for running off the way I did…”

Her gaze drifted to the stack of papers, and then back up to Hamuko.

“Oh! You’re in 2-F, right?” She held the stack to Hamuko. “Mr. Ekoda wanted me to give these to Ms. Toriumi. Do you mind making sure these make it to her desk? I still need to go pick up lunch, and…”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of it,” Hamuko said, taking the stack. She got to her feet and gave Fuuka a smile. “It was nice to meet you!”

“Mm!” Fuuka gave a nod and a quick bow before, without another word, retreating down the hallway. Hamuko gave her a little wave as she left. As she turned the corner, Hamuko let out a sigh and hefted the stack against her chest.

~ X ~

“And he just left after that?”

A baseball sailed at Hamuko’s head. She axed the heel of her hockey stick into the ball, bouncing it into the netting separating the batting areas. It hit the ground with a dull thump and rolled down toward the pitching machine, dragging a lazy trail through a puddle of blood. Minato reached into the machine’s stock to grab another ball. He tossed it casually in his hand as Hamuko answered.

“Yeah. He helped with the Shadow, said his piece, and left,” Hamuko said. “Apparently he’s an old friend of Mitsuru and Akihiko’s… Do you know him?”

Minato wound his arm back. Hamuko lifted her hockey stick defensively as he pitched a curveball. She ducked to the side, swinging the stick toward it in the same motion. The ball flew back towards Minato, bouncing once, before he grabbed it out of the air.

“Kind of. He doesn’t know me,” Minato said. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. It’s just how he shows he cares.

He pitched the ball back at Hamuko, and she swiped the stick up to deflect it again. As Minato grabbed another ball, she said, “I picked up on that , it’s just… You remember when I ran into Akihiko at the station? He was talking to that Aragaki guy back then. They started arguing with each other right after that, too…”

She lowered the stick slightly. Honestly, they’d been really lucky that Aragaki had been there that night. The more that she thought about it, the more Hamuko wasn’t sure that she and Junpei could have finished that Shadow off on their own. It’d moved with an intelligence and ferocity that other Shadows didn’t have… save for the one they’d fought on the roof.

Before Hamuko could follow that train of thought to its end, a baseball smacked right into her forehead, derailing it.

“Oh crap!” Minato ran over to Hamuko as she grabbed at her forehead, biting back a scream. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Hamuko lied, blinking back tears through the pain.

“I’m so sor– Let me go get some ice,” Minato stammered before running for the door to the batting cage. By the time Hamuko opened her mouth to interject, he’d already made it out of the building. She let out a sigh.

Why does he have to be so fast? Hamuko thought irritably as she stumbled out of the cage. With nothing to do but wait, she parked herself on a bench next to the front desk. The owner’s coffin sat behind the counter, a small wad of bills sitting in front of him. They’d decided to pay him for their use of the facilities after a small amount of debate, for as much good as that had done them. If Mitsuru hadn’t figured out that the two of them were sneaking out after curfew yet, she sure would after she saw the welt on Hamuko’s forehead the next morning.

After Hamuko had been sitting there for a few minutes, Minato came running back through the door with a bundle of cloth in hand, the condensation bleeding red through it. “Here.”

“Seriously, I’m fine,” Hamuko said, though she still put it to her forehead. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, anyways.”

“Still, better to be careful,” Minato said. “Let me get a look at it…”

He crouched in front of her, and she lifted the bag so he could get a better look at her forehead. For just a second, as their eyes met, Hamuko was struck again by an awful sense of deja vu. What was it that the boy from her room had said? An echo. A ripple of something I once knew.

“...Yeah, it’s bruising. It shouldn’t swell up too bad if you keep ice on it for the rest of the night, though,” Minato said, straightening up.

“Whatever you say, Leader,” Hamuko said, rolling her eyes. At Minato’s look of confusion, she shrugged. “What? Yukari told me. You’re good to come back after next week, right?”

Minato let out a sigh. “That’s what the doctor said.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, looking away as he bit his lip. “We can figure that out later. It’s midterms anyways. You should be studying instead of going to Tartarus.”

Hamuko groaned. Minato clearly could sense how dissatisfied she was with his answer, because he sighed again and scratched the back of his head.

“The tower’s not going anywhere. You should still live your life outside it,” Minato pointed out.

“I know, I know, but…” 

Hamuko bit her lip, deciding it was better not to finish that thought. She really wasn’t in the mood to get lectured by Minato considering he was the one who’d pitched a fastball at her head in the first place, but she got where he was coming from. Even if she was being fully pragmatic, she’d noticed that her Personas seemed to resonate with the people she hung out with, and that had translated into them getting stronger. At the same time, after exams were over, they’d only have two weeks to prepare for the next full moon…

“Fine, fine,” Hamuko said, relenting. “But in return, I’d better see you at that study group Yukari’s setting up tomorrow.”

Minato blinked, looking back at her with a puppy-like confusion. “Huh? No, that’s okay. I’ll be fine without it.”

“Will you? Because I’m pretty sure that every time I look back at you in class, you’re sleeping, ” Hamuko retorted.

Minato crossed his arms irritably. “Like I haven’t caught you doing the same a few times.”

“Hey, at least I’m awake most of the time!” Hamuko said. “Look, it’ll make Yukari and Junpei happy, okay? I think they’re worried about you. It sounds like you never hang out with them.”

Minato’s eyes widened. He lowered his arms to his sides, looking away.

“Me and Junpei have, but…” he murmured pitifully. “It’s just…”

He fell silent. Seeing that kicked puppy look on his face made a pang of guilt run through Hamuko’s chest. She really didn’t want to guilt him, but she’d been starting to worry about him too, even if that worry had been tinged with suspicion lately. He wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding that there was something going on with him… especially after that conversation Hamuko had with Fuuka earlier.

The sudden reminder sparked the memory to the front of Hamuko’s mind. She got to her feet, putting her hand on her hip.

“And by the way!” Hamuko said. “What happened with you and that poor girl from 2-E?!”

Minato whirled toward her. “What? Who?”

“Fuuka Yamagishi!” Hamuko said. “Don’t pretend you don’t know who I’m talking about! She mentioned you by name.”

Minato’s face flushed. “Nothing happened!” he exclaimed. “We just got lunch together, we talked about some tech stuff, and…” He coughed into his fist. “...I might have asked her to hack into something for me.”

Hamuko gasped. “Minato!”

“She didn’t do it!” Minato retorted. “She’s good with computers, so I just… thought she could help me with something…”

“With what?! What could you possibly–” Hamuko gasped. “Oh my god, were you having her pirate music for you?!”

“No! It was–” He cut himself off. “I don’t need to answer that.”

“I can’t believe you. I’m reporting you to Officer Kurosawa.”

“Please don’t,” Minato said, seeming to deflate. “It didn’t work out, so it doesn’t matter. Just forget about it.”

He slipped his hands into his pockets, a shadow falling over his face. Hamuko looked away, anxiously wiping away a bit of the condensation dripping down her forehead. Now she felt bad for bringing it up. Whatever had happened between those two, she could see that Minato still felt raw about it, and now wasn’t the time to press him on it. She looked up toward the ceiling of the facility, frowning, and finally let out a sigh. She stepped over to Minato and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“I think the Dark Hour’s almost over,” Hamuko said. “Come on, let’s clean up and get out of here.”

Minato looked up at her and, with a wry smile, gave her a nod.

 ~ X ~

Shockingly, Minato didn’t leave class immediately after the bell rang that day. For maybe the first time that Hamuko could think of, he waited up for her after they finished with after-school clean-up. Maybe he still felt guilty for beaning her in the head the night before.

“So, where exactly is this study group?” Minato asked as they walked down the hallway.

“Oh, it was going to be tonight at the dorm. To be honest, I dunno if we’ll get much done, but it sounded fun,” Hamuko said. “I was going to run by Bookworms to see if they had any study guides I could look through beforehand, actually. You know, the bookstore at the strip mall across from the station?”

Minato nodded. “I’m familiar. How’s Bunkichi and Mitsuko?”

“They’re sweet! Though… I think Bunkichi’s memory’s going a little bit,” Hamuko admitted, scratching the side of her cheek. “He tried to give me his prescription the other day…”

“Sounds like him,” Minato said, smiling faintly.

They walked down the stairs into the main lobby. Hamuko stopped a couple of steps from the bottom as she saw a familiar head of teal-green hair talking to the shopkeep at the school store. 

Hamuko elbowed Minato. “Don’t you have something you wanna say to her?”

“Hold on,” Minato said, narrowing his eyes.

The shopkeep reached behind the stall and handed Fuuka three packages of bread. Fuuka gave her a bow before turning on her heel and running down the club hall, clutching the bread close to her chest. Minato watched her retreat with a scowl.

“...Sorry, I need to go do something,” he said. Without waiting for Hamuko, he ran after Fuuka.

“Wha–Minato!” Hamuko hopped down the stairs and ran after him. She had a bad feeling…

The two of them turned the corner and went through the double doors into the pathway to the annex. They pushed through the double doors just as several packages of melon bread splattered to the ground in front of them.

“Are you stupid?! Were you not listening when I told you what I wanted?!” yelled a girl with a lot of makeup and her hair up in pigtails.

“B-But, you said–” Fuuka stammered.

“Why would I want to eat that shit?” The girl berating her was one Hamuko had seen yesterday – the one who’d pretended to snap a photo of Fuuka as she’d tripped. Three other girls were looking on, including the tanned one from yesterday. “Does anything get through that thick skull of yours?”

“Oh, let up, Maki,” the tanned girl said, not even looking up from her phone. “That’s probably all she could swipe off the lunch lady anyways.”

“I-I didn’t steal it!” Fuuka cried. “I paid for it with… my own money…”

“Suuuure you did. Just like you didn’t steal those books!” the tanned one said, holding up her phone. Fuuka’s face went white. 

“God, she’s so easy,” Maki said. She kicked a fallen pack of bread. The packaging split, causing chunks of melon bread to go flying. “Well, come on! Clean it up! You know how to do that, right?”

“That’s enough,” Minato growled, stepping forward.

The group jolted all at once, as if they’d only just realized that Minato and Hamuko were there. Fuuka whirled around, eyes widening as she spotted Minato. Two of the girls – the ones who’d been giggling in the back the whole time – stepped up as Maki turned toward the new arrivals.

“Um, who the hell are you?” Maki snapped.

“Aren’t they those transfer students from 2-F?” one of the other girls said. “What do they want?”

“Knock it off,” Minato said. He put himself between Fuuka and the pack of girls. Maki stepped up to him, sneering.

“Or what? You gonna make us cry?” she said.

“Aw, look, Fuuka’s got a boyfriend,” the tanned girl said, leaning toward one of the other girls and giggling. Fuuka’s face went beet red, and she shrunk behind Minato’s back, hiding her face.

“We’re just having fun here!” Maki said. “So why don’t you and your… girlfriend?–” She looked around Minato over at Hamuko, who glared back at her. “–get lost, okay?”

Hamuko took point next to Minato, scowling. “If you guys don’t quit it, I’m going to go tell Kirijo-senpai.”

The tanned girl looked at her, exasperated. “Seriously? ‘Ooh, I’m gonna go tell the student council president’... What are you, twelve?”

“Wait, Natsuki, I think she’s actually on the council… She might actually…” A third girl whispered. Maki looked over her shoulder, some of the confidence leeching out of her stance. The tanned girl let out a loud sigh and slipped her phone into her skirt pocket.

“Whatever, this isn’t fun anymore. Come on, Maki, let’s go,” Natsuki said.

“Wha– Natsuki!” Maki said, looking between Minato’s face and Natsuki’s, before scrambling after her. As Natsuki passed Fuuka, she turned toward her and gave her a dark, half-lidded stare.

“See ya later, Fuuka,” she said, and stepped through the double doors.

The other girls followed, all giving Fuuka dirty glances, before heading through the doors themselves. Once they were alone, Fuuka let out a sigh and nervously stepped out from behind Minato’s back.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “You shouldn’t have had to stand up for me like that, Arisato-san.”

Minato shook his head. “It’s okay. Are you alright?”

She put a hand to her chest, swallowing, and gave a nod.

“That’s good. I’ll take care of the mess,” Minato said. “You should head home, okay?”

“Head out through the track field, just in case they’re waiting for you back there,” Hamuko offered.

Fuuka nodded again. It was obvious that she was holding back tears. As she turned to leave, she looked back at Hamuko before retreating through the doors into the annex building. Hamuko waited for them to swing shut before she turned her attention to Minato. He sat crouched on the pavement, scooping the remains of Fuuka’s melon bread into their crumpled wrappers. 

“You know they’re not going to stop bullying her, right?” Hamuko said. “They’re just going to wait until we’re not around.”

“I know,” Minato said. 

“We really could tell Mitsuru,” Hamuko offered. “She’s the student council president, she can probably get them suspended for a little bit. Or… their homeroom teacher’s Mr. Ekoda, right? If we snitched to him, that might be worth something.” The words felt dirty in her mouth. She knew that neither of these ideas would make things any better.

Minato paused briefly. After a second, however, he shook his head and resumed cleaning.

Hamuko let out a sigh. Without a word, she crouched beside him and started to help, the setting sun drawing long shadows across the walkway as she scooped crumbs into her palm.