Chapter Text
Passing through the front entrance, Minako did a quick survey of who was in the lobby.
Just Akihiko and Shinjiro this evening.
Akihiko was reading on a barstool, but once his gaze fell upon Minako he nodded in Shinjiro's direction then abruptly got up and left. He seemed to have accidentally abandoned his book, but didn't even glance back at it. Perhaps he felt too awkward.
Shinjiro was facing where Akihiko once was, leaning against a wall in the corner of the room. He simply watched his friend go without a twitch. Only very mild confusion was apparent in his expression, followed by a brief grunt of acceptance.
Great, Minako thought. Akihiko knew. He knew it. It was that obvious.
Minako focussed on Shinji - who was wearing his huge burgundy coat and black beanie hat despite being indoors, hands in pockets as usual - and tentatively walked towards him.
"You..." he murmured.
Minako paused her step.
"I'm okay..." he said, "I feel better after our talk."
Minako realised he probably mistook her timid mannerisms for concerned ones. Wow, though - he felt better. She enjoyed a small rush of dopamine knowing she helped him feel better about something.
"...Take care of them," he told her. "I believe in you."
Woah, Minako thought... How does someone respond to that? Why did Minako have to do it? She didn't know some people in the dorm as well as Shinjiro did. However she was aware he may not have believed himself worthy.
She had an unbreakable bond with Shinjiro himself. She could feel it. Minako had always been very attuned to the emotions of those around her, and her ability to read Shinjiro slightly better than everyone else could gave her pride; despite how much of him was still left very intriguing. It meant he wasn't boring to be around. This resulted in her feeling more comfortable around him than she was with anyone else in S.E.E.S., but daren't say his feelings were corresponding. She knew he was fond of her, but that was all.
Minako hesitantly decided she would do what she wanted to do. She was going to spend time with Shinji, even if what he said just now may have been his way of letting her know she was no longer of relevance to him. She hoped she was overreacting to that.
Minako leaned on the wall next to Shinjiro.
She had called him "Shinjiro-sempai," but had heard Akihiko simply call him "Shinji" which was something Minako had unintentionally started doing internally. He was tall, and the angle at which she could see his face was just so flattering. She could've watched him from there forever. So cheesy.
She looked away, self-conscious. So much for being comfortable.
"Shouldn't you be with the others...? I can't give you anything or do anything for you."
Shinjiro's voice almost severed into her nerves, and the world suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. It sounded like he wanted her gone, but his reasoning was that he himself was a waste of Minako's time. Not true. She needed to tell him otherwise. Her heart rate had dramatically increased just thinking about it. She could almost swear it was audible. It was so hot in there right now, in her school uniform. Thinking of Shinjiro in that huge coat almost made her nauseous. He probably wasn't absolutely brimming with nerves at that moment, but Minako still felt what was almost like secondhand discomfort. She was in a state already.
Utterly refusing to look at Shinji, she said with as much confidence as she could muster;
"I want to be with you."
Immediate regret. How on Earth would he react to that? She could think of many possibilities. Which one was it? Well, she wouldn't know, because she was looking at the entrance to the lobby, and not at the person she was talking to.
Completely giving up on hiding her feelings now, she brought her head round to see that Shinjiro hadn't been fazed one bit. What? Wasn't he surprised, or, something? Happy, sad, annoyed, frightened? Nothing? Maybe he was just so inexpressive that whatever he was feeling was something she had to search more thoroughly for. She looked at his eyes, poking out under that beanie hat, hiding slightly behind his hair. Did they look confused or disgruntled? Pupils. Everyone has pupils. Were his doing things?
"...You can stare at me like that all day, I got nothing or you."
There was a hint of amusement in Shinjiro's tone. Minako felt herself blush.
"Haven't you wasted enough time on me?" he went on. "What more do you want?"
The amusement died as quickly as it had emerged. Minako could feel her pulse in her head. So many things Shinjro would say made his low self-esteem incredibly apparent, and feeling the sorrow emanating from him made Minako want him so much more. Couldn't he understand he was worth her effort? The time she spent with him was anything but wasted. She loved spending time with him. Her soul hurt, wondering if her feelings had permeated his thick skin in the slightest. Did he still think he was annoying her? Or was he sick of her, trying to get her to leave?
"I love you," Minako blurted.
"Huh...?"
Shit.
She'd type those words out whilst texting him, then delete them. Occasionally she'd randomly mutter it to herself quietly when she was alone, thinking of him. She'd say it so many times in her own head when he was simply in the same room. It was embarrassing, and something she struggled to admit; even to herself. Apparently, the filter had suddenly broken.
The blood rose in Shinjiro's cheeks, and his eyes widened; more expression than he'd usually let himself show in a week.
A moment of silence. Painful eye contact.
He shook his head. "D-Don't tease me like that!"
Minako frowned in surprise; forgetting how embarrassed she was for a moment.
"I'm not teasing you!" She blurted once more.
Shinjrio blinked. "Urgh..."
He placed one hand on his head, lightly gripping his hat, and kept the other in its pocket. He faced away, seemingly trying his hardest to keep it cool. She'd only ever seen him this embarrassed after he'd sustained damage in battle.
Could he be...?
He hastily pushed himself off the wall and faced Minako. She could see her blurry reflection in the small forehead protector on his beanie.
"I mean, why just blurt something out like that? Here, of all places...?"
His volume was rising. He was suddenly using pretty wild hand gestures. Despite the disappointing lack of I love you too; Mianko could tell her words had struck him in a way he wasn't used to. Shinjiro's strange pride stopped him from saying and doing many things, and the fact he hadn't immediately rejected her was almost completely decisive. She knew it. Akihiko seemed to give her a good go-get-'em signal when he left the two of them alone after all. Maybe Shinjiro had told him something. Minako weighed her options. She wanted the best outcome; and she was thinking clearly, finally.
"Won't you come to my room?" she asked. She could feel her confidence building again, and her carefree attitude allowed her to tease him for real this time.
"I-I can't do that," Shinji told her.
Minako let out a deep breath, aware they had moved from her convincing Shinji she really loved him to convincing him to let her love him; and adjusted her plan of action.
Feeling uncomfortable as she hesitated, Shinji nervously continued, "I mean, you're..." he tried. "Well, people are gonna get the wrong idea."
Wrong idea? Was he not interested?
No, that wasn't it. If he wasn't interested in a person, he'd definitely dismiss them instantly. And he was still very pink.
"That just leaves your room then," Minako taunted.
Shinjiro stiffened, eyes widening once more. "Y-You moron!" he gasped.
Minako replied to his attitude with him a cheeky, suggestive frown.
His tone softened. "I... I ain't a nice guy. I can't let you in my room. Don't you get it?"
Get what, she thought. How flustered her actions made him? She wanted to keep going; to witness the breaking point past the insults and snarky remarks and many layers of thick clothing into whatever lay buried under it all. And to Minako, he seemed perfectly nice.
"I know what I'm saying," she told him.
Shinjiro turned his head and looked at her with one eye.
"No way," he said quickly. "It's not gunna happen. Look, you need to watch yourself. Don't bother with someone like me."
Again with the confidence. Not only was he insulting himself but her standards too! The only reason he wasn't letting her into his world was because he believed he wasn't worth it. Minako liked to think she had good taste; and that he very well was. She leaned off the wall and smugly swung herself into Shinji's full view.
"I still love you, Sempai!" she said cutely.
Shinji averted his gaze, covering his nose and mouth with this hand as he flushed pink again. "Idiot..."
He liked her. She had him. It was surprising, how easy it was. All she had done was repeat herself.
"C'mon," Minako said, "let's go." In a risky move she gently held his sleeve and tugged in the direction of the stairs. When Shinji held himself firmly where he was, Minako leaned inward and smiled at him; paying close attention to the subtle emotion displayed in his eyes as he watched her.
"I'm your team captain, aren't I? I need to inspect your room." Minako adopted her usual playful tone Shinjiro was used to in an effort to put him at ease.
"Huh? Inspect?! No, you're... You're not making any sense. Why would you need to do that?"
Minako didn't waver, humour in her tone. "What if you're a super-secret double agent? It's a precaution."
"You're... that's not..."
"It's for the good of the team."
"You... ggrrh..."
Shinjiro pulled his hat down, strode ahead, and gestured for Minako to follow him.
"Thank you!" she grinned.
"Wh-Whatever," Shinjiro grumbled without turning around. "You can look inside my room. That's all."
Minako huffed at that, and barged past him to dash up the stairs.
"Hey...! Wait! What are you doing, you idiot?! Stupid little..."
Minako paid careful attention to Shinji's tone when the rude remarks came out. She didn't want to make her dear friend feel uncomfortable, however; Shinji was the type of person to force himself out of almost any situation which he might have found, well, nice. She'd grown used to him over the last few months and felt confident she could tell the difference between him defensively pushing others away and genuine annoyance... but an anxiety crept at her always.
Being so huge, Shinji caught up with Minako easily.
"Moron, I have the key!" he scolded.
Oh yeah. Maybe following him was the best idea after all.
Shinjiro grumbled at Minako irritably as he led her across the landing. She knew he was being playful here - he'd be scary if he wasn't.
"I need to see your room properly, Sempai," she affirmed.
"Yeah. You can see it. Nothing else."
"But I need to go inside..."
They reached the door. Shinjiro looked for the correct key on his keychain. He didn't have many keys, yet he was taking surprisingly long.
"Please let me in," Minako asked bluntly.
"No."
She childishly tugged his coat. "Pleaaase?"
"H-Hey! No! Lemme unlock the door!"
"But Sempai," she slyly begged, "I need to go in! It's for everyone's safety."
"No, you don't. There's not much in there, so - get off, dammit! - so you can stay out here and not cause me any trouble. It's better that way for you, too."
He unlocked the door, and it let it open. Minako edged past him, giving him a cute stare with her scarlet eyes, and let herself into his room. He knew she was going to do that, and she knew he was going to let her. She grinned at herself. She'd managed to get quite far.
Shinjiro sighed, entered and closed the door behind them. He walked around Minako, so that she was between himself and the door.
He was not lying when he said there wasn't much in his room. It was practically empty bar a bed and a desk. It was sad to see how little personality the place reflected. It was just so dull. Not even cookbooks, anywhere. Didn't he have any stuff? She couldn't see his battle gear. Where did he keep his things if they weren't in there, she wondered? He was still full of mysteries, and Minako felt herself wishing to study him like a subject at school.
Shinjiro interrupted her thoughts; which was probably for the best as standing there doing nothing may not have been a very good romantic tactic on Minako's end.
"...So? Happy now?" her sempai questioned. "You're always pushing me around all the time... You're just gunna ignore what I want, huh?"
Minako readied a retort but paused when she realised her mouth had already fallen open.
Shinjiro looked her in the eye for the first time in a while; and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, well, two can play that game."
Minako had no idea what he meant.
Shinjiro stood up straight. His posture was usually terrible, and him drawing his form to its full height had left Minako utterly stunned.
Man, he was impressive.
Shinjiro took one long stride forwards, and embraced Minako tightly. His head just about rested on top of hers.
"This is your fault you know," she heard him say. She could feel his voice's low rumble, and hear the smile in his tone. "I'm all confused."
He... he what?
Minako, who thought she was seeing stars as Shinjiro's warmth began to permeate her skin, slowly raised her arms to hug him back.
"You're all I can think about, day and night," Shinjiro said tenderly. "Dammit, this isn't how it's supposed to be..."
Minako could feel the blood rising in her cheeks. Her head swam, slowly piecing together a cohesive thought. He'd said something similar not too long ago. And she had no clue what he was currently thinking - the exact same as last time. What was supposed to be? Was something wrong? Why wouldn't he let himself like her? How long had he wanted to hug her for? Were they completely misunderstanding each-other? He thought about her all the time...? So was this him admitting it? This was happening? So many things Minako didn't know. She could feel how how hot he ran; she enjoyed being so close to him. She had never seen him display affection on this level before. She realised she probably hadn't considered him capable until now. It was so strange, the shock of it all had her stopped her in her tracks.
Minako could feel herself becoming dizzy; thinking about too many things at once yet nothing at all. Her brain kept saying; love, this is love; oh my god! What would happen? Were they going to start dating? What would Akihiko think? So lightheaded. What was Shinji thinking? Too bad he didn't wield a persona with Re Patra. Minako would've loved to have had a clear mind again.
He let her go. Everything was taken away, but Shinij's voice rumbled into existence once more and provided an anchor to the real world. "You get it, right? Go back to your room. If you don't go now, you're not gonna get another chance." His tone was neither firm nor joyous.
"I'm not going anywhere!" Minako declared without thinking too hard.
Shinjro closed his eyes and sighed again. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he chuckled. Minako's heart lifted at the sound of his joy.
Shinji snorted to himself, and briefly glanced away.
"I'm gonna make myself clear," he finally spoke with some assertion. "I ain't holding back any more."