Chapter Text
Yukari leaned against the banister of the staircase, listening for either Mitsuru or Akihiko on the floors below them. Even if one of them was speaking, the news station on the television was drowning them out.
Good.
She made her way back to her seat on the couch and whispered, "Hey, do you think Kirijo-senpai is being kind of … off?"
Minato blinked. "Off how?"
"Like she's - ugh -" She ran her hand through her hair as she tried to find the words for how she felt about Mitsuru Kirijo. "Like there's this big wall between us and her? Like she's so standoff-ish? Like she's just … cold?"
Minato shrugged. "Isn't that just how she acts normally? Between being student council president and running SEES, she's probably got a million things on her mind."
"But doesn't it bother you that she's probably definitely hiding things? Like how she was monitoring you during the Dark Hour for your first few nights here?"
"No."
Yukari was stunned speechless. She didn't know whether to call him audacious or stupid.
Minato tilted his head. "Why don't you just … ask her?"
She could only stare at him. Maybe he was just stupid.
"What?" she finally managed to say.
"Just ask her. What's the worst that could happen?"
She could think of ten different ways that this could end, and none of them were great. Sighing, she decided to humor him.
"Alright. I will."
Mitsuru bowed politely at their group. "Good work tonight. Get some rest."
Junpei, as usual, was the first out of Tartarus, followed closely by Minato and Akihiko. As his complaining faded away into the stagnant air of the Dark Hour, Yukari paused and looked over her shoulder. Mitsuru seemed busy packing up her equipment; she wouldn't get a better opportunity than this.
Before she could talk herself out of it, Yukari marched towards her and asked, "Why are you cold?"
"Hm?" Mitsuru paused briefly and then continued folding up antennas. "Why would you think that? It's been warming up over the past few days and the Dark Hour seems as mild as ever."
She mentally tripped over herself. That was not the answer she was expecting. "No, not temperature-cold, I meant -" Unfortunately, the extra ten seconds was enough to make her question her resolve. "Oh, never mind."
Mitsuru frowned. "Takeba -"
Yukari turned around, already heading towards the entrance. "Just forget it."